Ha Noi's Temple of Literature (Van Mieu) was built in 1070 by the third Ly Dynasty king, Ly Thanh Tong, to worship Confucius and the Duke of Zhou (Chu Cong), who were regarded at the time as the twin founders of Confucianism. Confucian rituals took place at the Temple all year round. Once or twice a month, the prince came to study with his private tutor. In 1076, the fourth Lý king, Ly Nhan Tong, had the National University (Quoc Tu Giam) built at the back of the temple to teach the sons of mandarins.
The sixth Ly, king, Ly Anh Tong, renovated the Temple of Literature in 1156 and removed the Duke of Zhou from the altar, believing Confucius to be the sole founder of Confucianism. In 1475, King Le Thanh Tong built the first stone tablet, or stele, to record the names of the lien si or doctoral laureates. The steles in the Temple of Literature contain the names in Chinese characters of the winners of the lien st title since 1442.
Additional steles were erected after every examination until 1778, when continual turmoil forced leaders to discontinue building steles. Out of 116 national examinations that took place from 1442 to 1778, eighty-two steles remain on the temple grounds. They include such famous names as mathematician Vu Huu, historian Ngo Thi Si, scientists Phung Khac Khoan and Le Quy Don, and diplomat Ngo Thi Nham.
At the height of its development, the Temple included a dormitory quarter for students from the provinces, a lake, and several hectares of farmland in the front. The Temple management assigned neighbouring Van Huong Village (later renamed Van Chuong) to farm the land to raise money for rituals. After King Quang Trung defeated the Qing Chinese invaders in 1789, Van Chuong villagers petitioned the king to restore the steles. In order to raise money for the project, the villagers sold a small gold tortoise that the defeated Trinh Lord, who had sided with the Chinese, had thrown into the square well at the Temple during his retreat.
Over the years, the Temple has been heavily damaged by nature and man, especially during the years of French rule. The lake and surrounding land became an urban residential area.
One there was even a plan to move the Temple away from its current location. In 1903, a plague struck Ha Noi and spread quickly. Patients went to Phu Doan Hospital (now the Viet Nam-Germany Hospital) for treatment. The Hospital became so crowded that some patients moved to the Temple of Literature, which was surrounded by a protective wall. The plague stopped thanks to a vaccine provided by Dr. Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) and the efforts of the medical staff. However, the Temple had become so contaminated that the French rulers wanted to build a hospital in its place! Mr. Pasquier, Chief of the French Governor General's office, asked local authorities to find a new location for the Temple.
Since Pasquier was aware of the Temple's importance in Vietnamese culture, he consulted the renowned scholar, Pham Van Thu. Thu replied, "Circumstances forced the Government to use the Temple as a hospital. Blood now stains the steles, disheartening the people. When the Nguyen Dynasty moved the capital to Hue at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it kept the Temple intact, since it is of national importance. If you move the Temple to another location, the entire population will be upset."
Pasquier listened carefully and reported the discussion to the French Governor General. Some days later, the colonial government announced that it would allocate 20,000 piastres to restore the Temple of Literature to its previous condition.
The Temple of Literature has withstood the odds of history. More reccent restoration of the Temple has further enhanced its image as a symbol of learning, creating a timeless atmosphere for intellectual inspiration.