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Temple of Literature, Hanoi

A garden path between trimmed hedges leading to the red-and-white Khue Van Cac pavilion in Hanoi
Photo: The original uploader was Chuoibk at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
70,000 VND, under-16s free
Hours
Daily 8:00–17:00, no closing day
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
1 h
With kids
Fine with kids
Admission
70,000 VND; 35,000 VND for students of Vietnamese schools and Vietnamese ID holders aged 60+
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Free
Children under 16 and visitors with very severe disabilities
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Last entry
Unofficial: around 16:30
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Night programme
Wed, Sat, Sun 18:30–22:00; adults 299,000 VND for one show, 399,000 VND for two
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Audio guide
Handset from the service desk, 12 languages including English; price not published
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Entrance and exits
Enter at 58 Quốc Tử Giám; exits on Văn Miếu street (19–21) and through Giám Garden opposite 40 Tôn Đức Thắng
Payment
Bring cash in VND for the ticket desk; card acceptance there is unconfirmed
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Coordinates
21.02861, 105.83556YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

1070the temple was founded under Emperor Lý Thánh Tông
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaWikidata
1076the Imperial Academy (Quốc Tử Giám), Vietnam’s first national university, opened here
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
82 stelaerecord the doctors who passed the royal examinations of 1442–1779
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
2011the stelae joined UNESCO’s international Memory of the World Register, a year after the Asia-Pacific register
SourceEnglish Wikipedia (2011) and Russian Wikipedia (2010)
5 courtyardsrun in a line from the main gate to the Thai Hoc academy
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian Wikipediaofficial site
1805the Khue Van Cac pavilion was built — today a symbol of Hanoi
2 sourcesEnglish Wikipediavietnamtourism.com
1484the first stelae were erected under Emperor Lê Thánh Tông
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
100,000 VNDthe temple appears on the back of this banknote
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
2000the major restoration that rebuilt the fifth courtyard
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia

How much is the Temple of Literature ticket?

A standard day ticket is 70,000 VND. The 35,000 VND reduced rate is for students of Vietnamese schools with a student card, Vietnamese citizens aged 60+ with their ID card and people with severe disabilities, so most foreign adults pay the full price. Children under 16 go free. These are the prices on the temple’s official site.

The ticket desk is at the main gate on Quốc Tử Giám street. Your ticket carries a QR code you scan at the turnstile. Bring Vietnamese dong in cash: the official site says nothing about cards at the desk, and one recent guide says it is cash only. Grab takes foreign cards in the app, but small everyday purchases in Hanoi are mostly cash.

The audio guide is a preloaded handset from the service desk in 12 languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. Bring your own earphones. The temple doesn’t publish the price, so ask at the desk.

Temple of Literature opening hours

The temple is open every day from 8:00 to 17:00, with no weekly closing day. Unofficially, last entry is around 16:30; since you need about an hour inside, aim to arrive by 16:00.

It stays open over Tet, the Lunar New Year: it closes at noon on the last day of the old year and reopens on New Year’s Day, when it gets very crowded. The best slot is opening time on a weekday — at 8:00 the courtyards are free of tour groups and graduation photo shoots.

A short history of Vietnam’s first university

Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám means ‘Temple of Literature – Academy for the Sons of the Nation’. Emperor Lý Thánh Tông founded the temple to Confucius and his disciples in 1070, and in 1076 the Imperial Academy opened beside it to educate princes, mandarins’ sons and, later, the brightest commoners.

For centuries it trained the country’s officials. From 1484, the names of those who passed the top royal examination were carved on stone stelae set on the backs of turtles. Eighty-two survive, covering exams from 1442 to 1779, and UNESCO lists them as documentary heritage. The complex has been restored several times, most fully in 2000.

It still matters to Hanoians: students come to pray before exams, graduates pose in gowns, and at Tet calligraphers write New Year wishes by Văn Lake opposite the gate.

What to see inside the five courtyards

  • Văn Lake and Phương Đình pavilion — across the street from the main gate, where the temple’s axis begins and the Tet calligraphy fair is held.
  • Main gate and first courtyard — a stele by the gate once ordered riders to dismount; lawns and trees lead to Đại Trung gate.
  • Khue Van Cac (Constellation of Literature pavilion) in the second courtyard — a two-tier pavilion from 1805 on four brick pillars, with round windows. It is Hanoi’s emblem.
  • Well of Heavenly Clarity and the stelae — a square pond in the third courtyard, flanked by the 82 doctors’ stelae, each on a stone turtle, a symbol of longevity and wisdom.
  • Đại Thành gate and hall in the fourth courtyard — the main sanctuary, with altars to Confucius and his disciples. Keep your voice down here.
  • Thai Hoc — the fifth courtyard on the site of the old academy, rebuilt in 2000, with a statue of the rector Chu Văn An and a drum tower and bell tower.
  • Giám Garden at the back — a quiet garden with an octagonal pavilion and an exit onto Tôn Đức Thắng.

Is the Temple of Literature worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you like history and architecture, or simply need an hour of calm. After the scooters of the Old Quarter, the tree-shaded courtyards and ponds feel like another city. Allow about an hour for the five courtyards, 90 minutes with the audio guide and Giám Garden.

Be realistic: it is a compact garden temple, not a vast palace. If you have already seen the big Confucian temples in China, this one is smaller — but the turtle stelae and the Khue Van Cac pavilion are uniquely Vietnamese. Older kids enjoy the turtles and ponds; toddlers may get bored.

How to get to the Temple of Literature

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on footdestinationStreet view

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On foot

More tips

  1. Walk from Hoan Kiem Lake — about 2 km west, 25–30 minutes. Set your map to ‘Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám’ or the entrance at 58 Quốc Tử Giám: the side gates are exits only.
  2. Grab or taxi — about 10 minutes from the Old Quarter. Grab takes cash or a foreign card in the app.
  3. By bus — according to the temple’s official site, route 38 stops at the main gate (58 Quốc Tử Giám), and routes 02, 41, E08 and E09 stop opposite 40 Tôn Đức Thắng by Giám Garden. Unofficially, route 02 runs from the lake area via Tràng Thi street; check it in the BusMap app.
  4. No metro runs from the lake to the temple — walking or Grab is simpler.
  5. Leaving by Văn Miếu street, you are a short ride from the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and walking distance from Hanoi Train Street.

Day visit or night tour

Day visityou are hereDaily 8:00–17:0070,000 VNDUnder 16 freeTicket desk at the gateAll five courtyards in daylight
Night programmeWed, Sat, Sun 18:30–22:00299,000 VND (one show) or 399,000 VND (two)1–1.3 m: 149,000 or 199,000 VND; under 1 m freeOnline on the temple site, by card via OnePay, or by phoneLit courtyards and staged shows

All prices are from the temple’s official site. Daylight is better for reading the stelae; evenings are about atmosphere. With only one day in Hanoi, go in the morning.

Before you go

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Historic sights in Hanoi

Hanoi’s historic places scored by YesGo. Tap a column header to sort.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum541 hFree16 min walk
Hoa Lo Prison521 h 15 min50,000 VND, under-16s free21 min walk
St Joseph's Cathedral4920 minFree24 min walk
Hoan Kiem Lake461 hFree30 min walk
Temple of Literatureyou are here431 h70,000 VND, under-16s free—
Tran Quoc Pagoda4230 minFree37 min walk
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long391 h 30 min100,000 VND11 min walk
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre381 h100,000–200,000 VND33 min walk

Old Hanoi in a day: citadel, temple, train street and lake

The Imperial Citadel in the morning, then the Temple of Literature, Train Street in the afternoon and an evening by Hoan Kiem Lake. Add it to your route and YesGo sets the times and walks.

  1. Imperial Citadel of Thang Long1 h 30 min · 100,000 VND
  2. 11 min walk from the previous stopTemple of Literatureyou are here1 h · 70,000 VND, under-16s free
  3. 14 min walk from the previous stopHanoi Train Street45 min · Free; drink at a café is paid
  4. 17 min walk from the previous stopHoan Kiem Lake1 h · Free; Ngoc Son Temple 50,000 VND

4 places · about 4 h 57 min with walks · 42 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on your route

Hanoi Train Street

Hanoi, Vietnam

45 min · Free; drink at a café is paid · 14 min walk

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Hanoi, Vietnam

1 h · Free · 16 min walk

Hoa Lo Prison

Hanoi, Vietnam

1 h 15 min · 50,000 VND, under-16s free · 21 min walk

How to do it right

  • Arrive at 8:00 on a weekday to have the courtyards before the tour groups.
  • The ticket desk is only at the main gate on Quốc Tử Giám street — the other gates are exits.
  • The days before and after Tet are packed, but you get the calligraphy fair by Văn Lake.
  • In graduation season, students in gowns pose everywhere — come early for clean photos of the pavilion.
  • Take the audio guide: without it the stelae and gates tell you very little.
  • From the temple, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a few minutes by Grab.

Questions

How much does it cost to enter the Temple of Literature?

70,000 VND for adults. Under-16s go free; the 35,000 VND reduced rate is for students of Vietnamese schools and Vietnamese seniors.

What are the Temple of Literature opening hours?

Daily from 8:00 to 17:00, with no closing day. A separate night programme runs on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 18:30 to 22:00.

Is there a dress code at the Temple of Literature?

Yes — cover shoulders and knees and remove your hat in the altar halls. It is an active place of worship.

How long do you need at the Temple of Literature?

About an hour for the five courtyards, or 90 minutes with the audio guide and Giám Garden.

How do I get to the Temple of Literature from the Old Quarter?

It is about 2 km west of Hoan Kiem Lake: 25–30 minutes on foot or around 10 minutes by Grab. Enter at 58 Quốc Tử Giám.

Can I pay by card at the Temple of Literature?

Plan on cash in VND at the ticket desk — card acceptance there isn’t confirmed. The night programme can be booked online by card.

Why is it called the Temple of Literature?

Văn Miếu means temple of literature, honouring Confucius and scholarship. The Imperial Academy beside it, opened in 1076, was Vietnam’s first university.

What is the Temple of Literature night tour?

An evening programme of lit courtyards and staged shows on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 18:30–22:00, from 299,000 VND for adults, booked on the temple’s site.

Is there an English audio guide?

Yes. Handsets from the service desk cover 12 languages, including English; bring your own earphones.

Is the Temple of Literature worth visiting?

Yes — it is Hanoi’s oldest and calmest historic site, and an easy pairing with the Imperial Citadel. Skip it only if Confucian temples leave you cold.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Official site of the Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám Centre: visitor information — hours, prices, concessions, rules, entrance and exits, buses
  • Official site: night programme prices and booking; audio guide languages and pickup
  • English Wikipedia: Temple of Literature, Hanoi; Russian Wikipedia: Ван-Мьеу; Wikidata Q1202019
  • Nhân Dân: QR e-ticket system
  • Báo Văn hóa: opening over Tet
  • vietnamtourism.com: tickets, last entry, dress, courtyards
  • The Common Wanderer: getting there from the Old Quarter, time needed
  • travelto.ru: paying in Vietnam, Grab and cards
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 05.11.2026 ·
How we checkedPrices, concessions, hours, the night programme, audio guide, address, exits and buses are from the temple’s official site (vanmieu.gov.vn). Some guides still quote the old 30,000 VND; Báo Văn hóa gave 7:30–18:00 around last Tet and other guides list seasonal hours. We use the official site’s current 8:00–17:00. One guide gives free entry under 15 and a 199,000 VND night tour; the official site says under 16 and 299,000 / 399,000 VND, which we follow. Last entry at 16:30 and a cash-only ticket desk come from a single source and are marked unofficial. The same guide says the temple closes for several days at Tet, but Báo Văn hóa reports only a half-day closure on New Year’s Eve, which we use. UNESCO: Russian Wikipedia gives 2010 (the Asia-Pacific register), English Wikipedia 2011 (the international register); we give both. Sources disagree on the number of laureates named on the stelae, so we leave it out. Bus 02 from the lake area is unofficial.

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