Temple Of Literature
Confucian temple and stelae garden with stone turtles bearing carved doctoral honor rolls since the fifteenth century.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Temple of Literature centers on its stelae garden, where eighty-two stone turtles carry the names of scholars who passed Vietnam's hardest royal exam between 1442 and 1779, a tradition Emperor Le Thanh Tong began carving into stone in 1484. You'll hear about the old belief that touching a turtle's head brings exam luck, and about the university volunteers now stationed here to stop it. Look closely at which turtle heads are worn smoothest.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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