Temple of Literature

In 1070, Emperor Lý Thánh Tông built the Temple of Literature to honor Confucius. Six years later, the Imperial Academy was founded — Đại Việt's first university. Six stops guide you through gate after gate, courtyard after courtyard, past stones that have witnessed nearly a millennium of Vietnamese learning. Listen to the 82 doctoral stelae perched on stone turtles, admire the Khuê Văn Pavilion printed on the 100,000-đồng note, and you'll see why Hanoians still call this 'the cathedral of letters.'