Trip Planner: Asia / Vietnam / Hanoi / Temple of Literature & National University

Temple of Literature & National University, Hanoi

4.4

#2 of 295 in Historic Sites in Vietnam

Must see · World heritage site · Historic Site · Religious Site

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Devoted to the Chinese ancient teacher and philosopher Confucius, Temple of Literature & National University houses the first university of Vietnam founded in the 11th century. Constructed under Ly Thanh Tong dynasty in the typical Vietnamese traditional architectural style--from wood and tiles--the temple features five historic courtyards. See the statues representing the ancient teacher and his honored disciples, the 82 stelas commemorating notable scholars, and a small collection of student and mandarin traditional uniforms. Walk the lanes planted with century-old trees and look for a tortoise head--you can see students rubbing it for good luck before taking exams. Plan to visit Temple of Literature & National University and other customer-reviewed, writer-recommended Hanoi attractions using our Hanoi road trip planner.

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Tours to Temple of Literature & National University

FROM $5 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Walking Tour of Hanoi City Private Walking Tour of Hanoi City

5.0

Duration: 3 to 8 hours

Tours from $5 ›

FROM $42 BOOK WITH VIATOR Full day Hanoi City Tour with Puppet Show Full day Hanoi City Tour with Puppet Show

5.0

Duration: 8 hours 30 minutes

Tours from $42 ›

FROM $28 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Hanoi City Half-Day Tour Private Hanoi City Half-Day Tour

4.9

Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes

Tours from $28 ›

FROM $10 BOOK WITH VIATOR Skip the Line: Thang Long Water Puppet Theater Entrance Tickets Skip the Line: Thang Long Water Puppet Theater Entrance Tickets

4.1

Duration: 50 minutes

Tours from $10 ›

FROM $42 BOOK WITH VIATOR Hanoi City Tour Full Day with Expert Local Guide - All Included, Lunch,Entrance Hanoi City Tour Full Day with Expert Local Guide - All Included, Lunch,Entrance

5.0

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $42 ›

FROM $38 BOOK WITH VIATOR Small Group Half-day Tour at Hanoi City with Temple and Mausoleum Small Group Half-day Tour at Hanoi City with Temple and Mausoleum

5.0

Duration: 4 hours

Tours from $38 ›

FROM $5 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Guided Tour of Hanoi Private Guided Tour of Hanoi

4.9

Duration: 3 to 8 hours

Tours from $5 ›

FROM $32 BOOK WITH VIATOR Hanoi City Small Group Tour and Water Puppet Show Hanoi City Small Group Tour and Water Puppet Show

4.9

Duration: 8 to 9 hours

Tours from $32 ›

FROM $40 BOOK WITH VIATOR Full-day Private Hanoi Sightseeing Tailored on request Full-day Private Hanoi Sightseeing Tailored on request

4.8

Duration: 9 to 10 hours

Tours from $40 ›

FROM $16 BOOK WITH VIATOR Retro Hop-on-hop-off Bonbon City Tour: Classic Package Retro Hop-on-hop-off Bonbon City Tour: Classic Package

4.5

Duration: 1 day

Tours from $16 ›

FROM $38 BOOK WITH VIATOR Hanoi City Full-Day Tour Hanoi City Full-Day Tour

4.6

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $38 ›

FROM $48 BOOK WITH VIATOR Half-Day Hanoi Food Tour by Motorbike Half-Day Hanoi Food Tour by Motorbike

4.9

Duration: 4 hours

Tours from $48 ›

Temple of Literature & National University reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating

11,008 reviews

Google

4.6

By Wonder A

We were amazed that not only tourists were seen at the Temple of Literature, there were many locals too. Apparently, the locals go there to pray for their or their family members' success in their...

We were amazed that not only tourists were seen at the Temple of Literature, there were many locals too. Apparently, the locals go there to pray for their or their family members' success in their... more »
By ritaeidel

We were there with a wonderful guide who explained the entire history of this compound. It really made the understanding clear. Beautiful place and very important part of Hanoi history

We were there with a wonderful guide who explained the entire history of this compound. It really made the understanding clear. Beautiful place and very important part of Hanoi history more »

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Google

By Vicky Adams

This was a very interesting place to visit. So much history and culture here. It was one of our first "tastes" of Vietnam. Easy to spend a lot of time here. Definitely worth a visit! Only cost 30,000 VND per person. Good faculties too (toilets were decent plus places to buy water if needed!)

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By Kristian Blackhall

A very interesting and well preserved historical site. It contains many original stone carvings and inscriptions that survived many centuries and are fascinating to view close up. Walking around the gardens is very nice, the pools have a lot of fish that love to follow you around. Many of the trees look like they have grown undisturbed for many hundreds of years also. A lot of original historic architecture is present and great photo opportunities for visitors. There is enough space to move around and generally not crowded.

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