TEMPLE OF LITERATURE: HISTORY & ARCHITECTURE

The Temple of Literature is often cited as one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attractions. Originally built as a university in 1070 dedicated to Confucius, scholars and sages, the building is extremely well preserved and is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture. Considered the first university of Vietnam, the Temple of Literature is a famous…

THÁP RÙA: THE LEGEND OF TURTLE TOWER IN HANOI

Thap Rua Tower, also known as the Turtle Tower, one of Hanoi’s most iconic attraction was built to commemorate Le Loi who gave Vietnam freedom from the Chinese in 1425. In Hanoi, Vietnam, there is a lake in the center of town that maintains special significance to the Vietnamese people. In the middle of that lake…

HANOI, AN ANTIQUE RISING DRAGON

The region around present-day Hanoi was settled in prehistoric times, and the location was often chosen as a political centre by Chinese conquerors. In 1010 Ly Thai To, the first ruler of the Ly dynasty (1009–1225) of Vietnam, chose the site of Hanoi—then called Thang Long (“Rising Dragon”)—for his capital. In 1831 the city was renamed…

PHU QUOC ISLAND, THE PEARL OF SOUTH VIETNAM

Like Vietnam itself, Phu Quoc Island has a varied history with numerous nations occupying the island over the past couple of centuries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, France and America. Phu Quoc Island forms part of Vietnam, and even though the island was an area of dispute between Vietnam and Cambodia as recently as the late 1980’s,…

THE LAST VIETNAMESE EMPIRE OF HUE

Out of 160 buildings of Hue only 10 major sites remain because of the battle, such as the Thái Hòa and Cần Thanh temples, Thế Miếu, and Hiển Lâm Các. The city was made a UNESCO site in 1993. The buildings that still remain are being restored and preserved…