Places To Visit In Vietnam

In the heart of the capital city of Vietnam lies the area, which has been standing here since the imperial days of the country. Hanoi Old Quarter of Vietnam was initially a doing of the Ly and Tran dynasties. It served as the centre of their rule, situated right to the east of the Citadel of Thang Long, along the slow-movin...

In the old quarters of the capital city, Hanoi sits the ancient Hoan Kiem Lake, which translates to the Vietnamese language as ‘Lake of the Returned Sword’. This moniker has a famous legend behind it, which is often the storyline of numerous water puppetry shows in the Thong Lang Water Puppet Theatre.

The legend says that...

Located in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, One Pillar Pagoda is regarded to be one of the most significant temples of the country. The Pagoda is made out of wood on a single pillar of stone, which is 1.25 metre in diameter and 4 meters in height. Thus it got the name ‘one pillar’ pagoda. The design resembles a lotus blossom,...

Temple of Literature is considered as one of Hanoi’s most sacred places, not only for religion or spirituality but for education as well. The temple was originally built in 1070 AD as a university dedicated to Confucianism, during the reign of third Ly emperor Ly Thanh Tong. The architecture of the Temple of Literature Hanoi resembles the trademark Chinese style which has been followed for all Confucian temples after his birthplace. It was later renovated in bits and pieces by the Tran dynasty. What stands now is a spectacular example of Indochinese architecture and a reflection of the country’s several imperial histories as well.

Back when classism was at its peak and a norm in the Vietnamese society, only high elites, aristocrats and royals could get the chance to study in this hallowed institution of Temple of Literature. This is where the king and the courtesan’s children took their lessons in literature under Confucian faith. But eventually that passed and the sacred gates of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi were opened up to the commoners as well, thus becoming the first university of Vietnam. To honour every successful graduate of the institution, their names are engraved on the stone stele at the top of the stone turtles.

When one visits the Temple of literature, they can explore five courtyards separately and the engraved names of the graduates. The first and second courtyards are beautiful and well-maintained gardens and the third one has a large pond which is called the Well of Heavenly Clarity. The fourth courtyard is home to a statue of Confucius and the House of Ceremonies, thus called the Sage Courtyard. The last and final one is called Tha...

West Lake is the largest fixed water body of Hanoi, stretching for over 17 km in its shoreline and an area of 500 hectares within. A 15 minutes’ drive away from the cacophonous old quarters of Hanoi, West Lake offers a more peaceful and tranquillity alternative to the visitors. Also known as Ho Tay Lake in the local languag...