The Temple of Literature was built in 1808, under the reign of King Gia Long, to worship Confucius. Later, under the reign of King Minh Mang, the Temple of Literature was the place where steles were placed to record the names of the doctors who passed the imperial examinations held under the reign of the Nguyen kings.
The Temple of Literature is a unique symbol of Vietnamese education during the period of feudal monarchy.
The establishment of the Temple of Literature and the erection of the doctoral stele are to specifically remind of the respect for learning, to promote the country's talents and the fine traditions of the nation .
Behind the Great Gate of the Temple of Literature are two rows of houses with 32 stone steles (of which 31 are of the examinations with the names of 292 doctors who passed the 39 examinations and one stele with the name of the special doctor Bui An Nien).
In the middle is the Confucius shrine and the remaining foundation of the Dai Thanh Dien. 293 doctors of the Nguyen Dynasty, starting from the first examination in the 3rd year of Minh Mang (1822) to the last examination in the 4th year of Khai Dinh (1919) .
Each stone stele with the doctoral titles is placed on a turtle statue similar to the one at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam ( Hanoi ). The turtle statues at the Hue Temple of Literature are carved differently. The height of the stone stele with the titles is also different .
When intact, this place had nearly 20 large constructions such as: Temple of Literature (worshiping hall), Dong Vu, Tay Vu, Than Tru, Than Kho, Huu Van Duong, Tho Cong house, Dai Thanh gate, Van Mieu gate, Quan Duc gate, Linh Tinh gate, La Thanh, the king's wharf...
Currently, within the grounds of the Temple of Literature, many structures have been destroyed, including the main hall, Dai Thanh Palace, where Confucius was worshiped, which has been completely destroyed, leaving only the foundation. The main gates such as Van Mieu Gate, Quan Duc Gate and Dai Thanh Gate are also damaged...
Previously in 2022, the People's Council of Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue city) approved the project to restore and embellish the Temple of Literature relic with a budget of more than 65 billion VND. The project is expected to be implemented within 3 years with many items such as restoring the main hall, Van Mieu Gate, boat dock, paving the temple yard... However, due to many reasons, the restoration and embellishment of the Temple of Literature relic has not yet taken place as planned.
Next to the Temple of Literature is the Temple of Martial Arts, built under the reign of King Minh Mang.
This is the only Martial Temple in Vietnam, established by King Minh Mang in 1835 (along with the Temple of Literature) to worship the martial gods and generals who quelled uprisings in the first half of the 19th century.
Although this structure was almost completely destroyed by war and time, with only five stone steles and some traces of the foundation remaining, it has been listed by UNESCO as one of the 20 world cultural heritage sites in Hue .
According to the book "Dai Nam Thuc Luc", King Minh Mang ordered: "Those who are worshiped at Vo Mieu must be those with clear merits, kept intact from beginning to end, to clearly show the meaning of worship and set a lasting example for the future... Now approve: from the famous generals of the dynasties, choose Tran Quoc Tuan and Le Khoi; from the famous generals of our previous dynasties, choose Nguyen Huu Dat, Nguyen Huu Tien, Ton That Hoi and Nguyen Van Truong, all six people, to be worshiped as assistants in the left and right martial arts divisions of Vo Mieu".
Unlike the Temple of Literature which is still quite intact and about to be restored, the Temple of Martial Arts is gradually becoming a ruin and is at risk of being encroached upon and wiped out.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/di-tich-van-mieu-vo-mieu-o-hue-xuong-cap-va-hoang-phe-post804654.html
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