Aug 4 Hanoi

Today a Vietnamese friend of a friend came to our hotel to take us out for a Vietnamese breakfast and then to do some sightseeing. We went to a Pho cafe first for pho and other savoury treats - including fried egg. Then up the street to a cafe that s been operating since 1952 - Ca Phé. French influence there if you didn’t pick it. The cafe was filled with paintings that were swapped for coffee by poor artists in the past. 

Ca Phé

A modern pair of apartment buildings in the middle of the old city.

Next it was off to St Joseph’s Cathedral, another grand church in the French tradition.

Sanctuary

Side Chapel

Our final stop was at the Temple of Literature, Van Mieu, the site of a Confucian education facility established in 1070 and operating as the first Vietnamese University from 1076 - 1779. It’s a temple dedicated to Confucius still in use by locals though also a major tourist attraction.

Entrance gardens

Stelae inscribed with the theses of doctoral graduates of the university. There are 82 of an original 116. Each mounted on a stone turtle, one of the nation’s four holy creatures and a symbol of longevity and wisdom.

Examination tents used for students sitting major exams.

The examiners’ seats where they sat while the exams were being completed.