The Temple of Literature (Van Mieu) and the Imperial Academy (Quoc Tu Giam) share one walled compound west of Hanoi's Old Quarter. The site's own timeline says King Ly Thanh Tong ordered Van Mieu built in 1070, and King Ly Nhan Tong founded Quoc Tu Giam, the academy, in 1076.
The stone steles stand in the Doctoral Stele Garden. King Le Thanh Tong ordered the first of them in 1484. UNESCO recognised them as documentary heritage in 2011, and in 2015 the state listed 82 of them as National Treasures.
The official site map runs from Van Lake through five zones: Initial Learning, then Achievement with Khue Van Pavilion, then the Doctoral Stele Garden around Thien Quang Well, then the Great Sacrifice zone with Dai Thanh Hall, and last the Imperial Academy zone with Thai Hoc House and its drum and bell towers. On site you will find an information desk, free Wi-Fi, an audio guide and QR information points.
Getting there
The entrance is at 58 Quoc Tu Giam Street. The exit is on the other side of the compound, at 19 to 21 Van Mieu Street, so if someone is picking you up, send them there.
Measured in a straight line on map coordinates, the gate is about 0.7 km from Hanoi railway station and about 1.8 km from Hoan Kiem Lake. Noi Bai International Airport is about 22 km away in a straight line; the road is longer.
Transerco, Hanoi's state bus company, lists Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam among the stops its hop-on hop-off City Tour passes, together with the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and Hoa Lo Prison. We could not read a current City Tour fare from the operator, so we do not quote one.
Hours and fees
| When | Hours |
|---|---|
| Every day of the week | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Evening programme, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday | 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, separate ticket |
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard (adults) | VND 70,000 |
| Reduced: students at schools in Vietnam with a student card, people aged 60 and over with a citizen ID card (CCCD), people with severe disabilities | VND 35,000 |
| Children under 16, people with special severe disabilities | Free |
The 60-and-over discount names the Vietnamese citizen ID card (CCCD) as proof, so foreign visitors should not count on it. Tickets are sold on site, and the official site also has a Buy tickets button.
Nearby
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long: about 0.6 km in a straight line.
- Hoa Lo Prison: about 1.2 km in a straight line.
Questions travelers ask
What does the calligraphy I paid for say? A visitor asked r/VietNam to translate a character they had written for them at the Temple of Literature. One reply:
"I think the closest English word would be Prosper"
u/Ryarcht on r/VietNam
Do Vietnamese people still come here to pray? A commenter on another thread wrote:
"It's a common tradition for local university and highschool students to visit the temple and pray before Confucius for good luck before entering exams."
u/HolyMopOfCheese on r/VietNam
