Vietnam's Temple of Literature Receives UNESCO Memory of the World Certificate

On February 25, a special ceremony was held at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi in order to grant the site special honors from UNESCO. The special national relic certificate and the Global “Memory of the World” certificate were given for its 82 doctoral laureate steles at the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature – Royal College).

The 82 stone steles preserved at the temple were erected between 1484 and 1780 and holds the names of the laureates of royal examinations held between 1442 and 1779 under the Le and Mac Dynasties. The steles, designed as tortoise-mounted tablets, are clear accounts of around 300 years’ history of training and recruiting talented individuals to serve the national construction and defense of the country. The tortoise is traditionally considered a symbol of longevity and everlastingness in Vietnamese culture. The said inscriptions are written in Chinese.

The stelae were also the focus of a conservation workshop held earlier the same day by the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam Centre for Cultural and Scientific Activities. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan stressed this is a great honor and responsibility for citizens of the capital city and the whole country towards preserving the heritage for future generations. The stelae are showing signs of deterioration brought on both by exposure to the elements and by people. The structure housing the stelae is becoming dilapidated. On the other hand, the stelae themselves are equally exposed from frequent touching and rubbing, and oftentimes, being sat upon on. A long tradition of students is the rubbing of the heads of the tortoises for luck during exam time.

The held ceremony was simple and solemn, and was participated by UNESCO's Vietnam representatives, along with central and municipal authorities. A traditional Vietnamese ritual was observed in which a person returns home to pay thanks to their ancestors after achieving academic honors. Among the highlights of the gathering was the screening of a documentary film on the history of the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam and the playing of traditional music.

The Temple of Literature was built in 1070 in dedication to Confucius and other scholars. It remained a symbol for Vietnam’s culture and intelligence for nearly 1,000 years. At present, over a thousand tourists visit the temple each day, with the steles being one of the temple's biggest tourist draws.