Chinese influence and emperor figures have shaped the Vietnamese capital for hundreds of years. Nowadays, Hanoi presents tranquility through its tales of Vietnam’s dynasties.
photos by Randy Mulyanto
I paid attention to the Chinese letters on the main gate of the Temple of Literature with admiration. Son Nguyen, my guide, said that Vietnam was once under Chinese rule which accounts for why the Temple of Literature looks like a Chinese temple. Vietnam and China are geographically close, which also urged the Vietnamese back then to learn Chinese. Built in 1070, this site was the creation of the Early Ly Dynasty’s Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, built to honor Confucius.
We walked inside and were greeted by a lot of elementary students, each wearing matching white shirts and red ties.There was obviously an education-themed event going onwhich could be explained by the fact that the Temple of Literature once served as Vietnam’s first national university and, although it is no longer a university, it regularly hosts such activities.
I followed Son’s steps to a particular building named the Fifth Courtyard that he referred to as the national university. Here lies the figure of Chu Van An, a former rector of the national university. He was being worshipped at the altar which was adorned with various flower and fruit offerings and on the second floor I saw three more prayer altars lined up.
⇒ Not just an ordinary pagoda
We headed to the One Pillar Pagoda after visiting both the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh Presidential Palace Historical Site. From Uncle Ho’s complex, it only took a few minutes on foot. Architecturally, the structure of the One Pillar Pagoda follows Buddhism philosophy in that It resembles the lotus flower that emerges out of the sea of sorrow.
The story of the creation of the temple goes that in the 11th century, Emperor Ly Thai Tong from the Early Ly Dynasty prayed for a son to The Buddha. One day, he dreamed of meeting Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and thus, Guanyin seated on the lotus gave him a male child.
He married a peasant girl and she gave birth to a baby boy who became the emperor’s successor. The emperor then ordered his people to construct this pagoda as his gratitude. Hanoi residents still come to the pagoda to pray.
⇒ Legendary lake at the city center
We took a 15-minute bus ride to Hoan Kiem Lake. Located in the central part of Hanoi, this is a holy lake. There are even turtles that live in the lake, one of four sacred animals according to Vietnamese culture. Every morning, locals take their tai chi practice or aerobic exercise around the lake.
There is a widespread legend about Hoan Kiem Lake in which a magic sword fell from the sky. Emperor Le Loi of the Le Dynasty used the sword to expel the Chinese from Vietnam. The sword vanished but the Vietnamese believe the sword is still buried deep inside the lake. It is also worth noting that Le Loi established his dynasty once China was defeated.
I crossed the red curvy bridge known as Cau The Huc that led me to Ngoc Son Temple. The temple houses a giant turtle weighing 250 kilograms and is certainly a reminder of how sacred turtles are in Vietnam. After having strolled around Hanoi for a half day, I sat on a bench and stared at the serene lake for a while, contemplating the fact that Hanoi has surely enjoyed an enchanted history.
