Exhibition highlights Vietnam's imperial examinations.
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With 80 photos, documents and items on display, the exhibition introduces to the public an overview of the formation and development of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi and 82 stone steles recognized as a Global Memory of the World Programme, as well as introducing the history of the Vietnamese imperial examinations.
The Vietnamese imperial examinations had a long tradition going back to 1075 and continuing for some 1,000 years later. Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam is the place where the names and birthplaces of the laureates of imperial examinations were preserved.
At the exhibition, the public also has access to images and documentation on the architecture of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam and architectural artifacts excavated at the old foundations of Quoc Tu Giam in 1998.
The exhibition is an opportunity for An Giang Province Museum to promote the unique cultural heritage of Hanoi and to raise public awareness on preserving their national cultural identity.
Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a Temple of Confucius in Hanoi. The temple hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Ly Thanh Tong.
It is one of the several temples in Vietnam which is dedicated to Confucius, sages, and scholars. The temple is located to the south of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. The various pavilions, halls, statues and stelae of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Dai Viet took place.
The temple is featured on the back of the VND100,000 banknote. Just before the Vietnamese New Year celebration Tet, calligraphists will assemble outside the temple and write wishes in Han characters. The art works are given away as gifts or are used as home decorations for special occasions.
