Temple of Literature (Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam)

Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám

A Confucian temple from 1070 and Vietnam's first university

⚠ Entry stops sharply at 5pm

Hours

Daily 8am–5pm; night programme Wed, Sat, Sun 6:30–10pm (per the official site)

Tickets

70,000 VND adults; 35,000 for Vietnamese-school students and some other groups; free under 16. Night programme priced separately (book at vanmieu.gov.vn)

Address

58 Quoc Tu Giam Street; the main gate faces south onto Quoc Tu Giam

Founded in 1070 to honour Confucius, with the country's first university added soon after. Step through the gate off a roaring street and the noise drops away; five courtyards follow one another from south to north. The Khue Van Cac pavilion at the end of the second courtyard is the building on the back of the 100,000-dong note, and people hold up the banknote to compare. Beside the pond stand 82 stone steles carved with the names of doctoral laureates, each riding on a stone turtle. In exam season Vietnamese students queue to pray for good results.