The Temple of Literature

Founded in 1070 and given a royal academy six years later, the Temple of Literature trained officials for the court over centuries and is the tidiest surviving piece of old Hanoi. You pass through five courtyards in sequence, each walled off from the last: gates, a lawn of frangipani trees, the Khue Van Cac pavilion with its round windows, the square Well of Heavenly Clarity, and finally the ceremonial hall with its altar to Confucius. The set piece is the ranks of stone stelae standing on the backs of carved tortoises, each tablet cut with the names of men who passed the doctoral examinations, the oldest of them dating from the fifteenth century.

What you actually see

• Khue Van Cac - the small pavilion with round windows that appears on the hundred thousand dong note.
• The doctoral stelae - eighty-two stone tablets on carved tortoises, listing examination graduates by year.
• The Well of Heavenly Clarity - a square pond in the third courtyard that mirrors the pavilion.
• The ceremonial hall - the altar to Confucius at the far end, with lacquered fittings and bronze cranes.

When to go

October to April is the pleasant half of the year, since summer afternoons are heavy and the courtyards hold heat. Arrive at opening, because tour groups appear by mid-morning and graduation season fills the courtyards with students in gowns and their photographers. An hour and a half is enough unless you intend to read every stele.

Honest expectations

It is smaller than the map suggests and most of the buildings are later rebuilds after long neglect. The stelae are genuine but stand behind railings, so close reading is difficult. Weekends and graduation days turn the courtyards into a photo studio, and the ticket queue and souvenir shop at the entrance can be slow.

Nearby

The Imperial Citadel and the museum quarter lie a short ride north.