Van Mieu, the temple of literature, is Hanoi's oldest university. Or rather: it was a university. Founded in 1070 (!) and dedicated to Confucius, Van Mieu was the main centre of education for Vietnam mandarins who were educated there for several centuries. In the 15th century, Emperor Le Thanh Tong declared that stelae should be placed for everybody being conferred a doctorate. Therefore you now see 82 stelae with the inscriptions of 1304 doctor laureates in the temple, all of which are placed on the back of a tortoise. In Vietnamese mythology, the tortoise, the unicorn, the dragon and the phoenix are holy animals. It is said that the placement of stelae signifies "everlasting respect to talent".
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Nowadays, Van Mieu is above all an oasis of tranquility amidst Hanoi's neverending traffic chaos. Although it is surrounded by three highly frequented main roads, you can enjoy a break at Van Mieu without even noticing that there are thousands of motorbikes rushing by just behind the walls of the temple.
Furthermore, Van Mieu is architecturally very interesting. In the five yards of Van Mieu you can experience different stages of Vietnamese architecture. There are for instance the two horse dismounting stelae in front of the temple where those who wanted to enter the temple had to dismount their horse. Between the first and the second yard, you can marvel at the beautiful Great Middle Gate. In the third yard, the 82 stelae surround the Well of Heavenly Clarity. The fourth yard comes up with the Courtyard of the Sage - it is here where Confucius and other sages are worshipped. In the fifth yard you can see what was the study room some centuries ago. A model of the temple and several old photographs are displayed in the building at the very end of the yards.
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