An emphasis on the benefits of learning and on respect for teachers and talent has shaped the Vietnamese educational tradition for thousands of years. Through the centuries, even the poorest Vietnamese mothers dreamed of their children passing the royal examinations or graduating from university.
Although many Vietnamese are keen learners, the Vietnamese educational system had a rocky beginning. When the Chinese invaded in the late third century B.C., they introduced Chinese characters and Confucianism. However, during a thousand years of Chinese rule, the Chinese taught the Vietnamese only enough Chinese language for the Vietnamese to become good servants. Once the Vietnamese, led by Ngô Quyền, drove the Chinese out for good in 939 A.D., the nascent Đinh and Lê Dynasties still had to fight external and internal enemies; this left little time to promote learning.
The turning point in Vietnamese education occurred after Lý Thái Tổ acceded to the throne in 1009 as the first king of the Lý Dynasty and transferred the capital from Hoa Lư in Ninh Bình Province to Thăng Long, now Ha Noi, in 1010. In 1070, King Lý Thánh Tông constructed the Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu) to honour Confucius and his disciples. While continuing to maintain national independence, Đại Việt (Viet Nam) opened its door to other cultures, especially China and India. The Temple of Literature did not conflict with Buddhist pagodas.
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| Ly Thai To's monument |
In 1076, Lý Nhân Tông established the National University (Quốc Tử Giám), the first university in Viet Nam to train senior officials for the civil service. He located it in the same compound as the Temple of Literature. The University initially recruited sons only from royal and senior mandarin families. Later, sons of common people could also enter the University if they had talent. The University continued to train doctoral laureates or tiến sĩ, until 1802, when Emperor Gia Long moved the capital to Phú Xuân (Huế).
The National University became the pinnacle of the Vietnamese educational system. Lower schools trained candidates for its examinations. Many villages had private schools apart from state-run public schools at the national, provincial, and district levels. Village teachers included unsuccessful candidates for the royal exams as well as some degree holders, who chose not to become mandarins or who did not want to be involved in politics.
The curriculum of both public and private schools included the Confucian classics, philosophy, literature, history, and politics. Successful students learned the Four Books of Confucianism by heart as well as Vietnamese and Chinese history. They also studied how to compose poetry and prepare documents such as royal edicts, speeches, mandarins' reports, analyses, and essays.
The Confucian educational system turned out brilliant politicians, military strategists, diplomats, writers, and historians. Among the most renowned Confucian scholars are General Trần Hưng Đạo (who led the army that defeated the Mongol invaders in the thirteenth century), the humanist Nguyễn Trãi, and the poet Nguyen Du. UNESCO has recognised the last two as great men of culture.