The Temple of Literature and the Temple of Martial Arts in Hue are degraded and abandoned.

While the heritage of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi is quite well preserved and was included in the list of documentary heritages of the Memory of the World program by UNESCO in 2010, in the ancient capital of Hue, the two heritages of Van Mieu and Vo Mieu (also known as Van Thanh - Vo Thanh), although established later, have now degraded and become deserted.

Trees and weeds attack Dai Thanh gate at Vo Mieu relic

The Temple of Literature was built in 1808, under the reign of King Gia Long, to worship Confucius. Later, under the reign of King Minh Mang, the Temple of Literature was the place where steles were placed to record the names of the doctors who passed the imperial examinations held under the reign of the Nguyen kings.

The Temple of Literature is a unique symbol of Vietnamese education during the period of feudal monarchy.

The establishment of the Temple of Literature and the erection of the doctoral stele are to specifically reiterate the respect for learning, promote the country's talents and the fine traditions of the nation .

Trees and weeds attack Dai Thanh gate at Vo Mieu relic

Behind the Great Gate of the Temple of Literature are two rows of houses with 32 stone steles (of which 31 steles are of the examinations with the names of 292 doctors who passed the 39 examinations and one stele with the name of the special doctor Bui An Nien).

In the middle is the Confucius shrine and the remaining foundation of the Dai Thanh Dien project. 293 doctors of the Nguyen Dynasty, starting from the first examination in the 3rd year of Minh Mang (1822) to the last examination in the 4th year of Khai Dinh (1919) .

Each stone stele with the doctoral names is placed on a turtle statue similar to the one at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam ( Hanoi ). The turtle statues at the Hue Temple of Literature are carved differently. The height of the stone stele with the names is also different .

Two rows of houses have 32 stone steles (of which 31 are of the examinations with the names of 292 doctors who passed the 39 examinations and one stele with the name of the special doctor Bui An Nien).

Turtle statue at Temple of Literature degraded

When intact, this place had nearly 20 large constructions such as: Temple of Literature (worshiping temple), Dong Vu, Tay Vu, Than Tru, Than Kho, Huu Van Duong, Tho Cong house, Dai Thanh gate, Van Mieu gate, Quan Duc gate, Linh Tinh gate, La Thanh, the king's wharf...

Many structures at the Temple of Literature relic have been destroyed or deformed.

Currently, within the grounds of the Temple of Literature, many structures have been destroyed, including the main hall, Dai Thanh Palace, where Confucius was worshipped, which has been completely destroyed, leaving only the foundation. The main gates such as Van Mieu Gate, Quan Duc Gate and Dai Thanh Gate are also damaged...

Previously in 2022, the People's Council of Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue city) approved the project to restore and embellish the Temple of Literature relic with a budget of more than 65 billion VND. The project is expected to be implemented within 3 years with many items such as restoring the main hall, Van Mieu Gate, boat dock, paving the temple yard... However, due to many reasons, the restoration and embellishment of the Temple of Literature relic has not taken place as planned.

The Vo Mieu relic is gradually becoming ruins and is at risk of being encroached upon and wiped out.

Next to the Temple of Literature is the Temple of Martial Arts, built under the reign of King Minh Mang.

This is the only Martial Temple in Vietnam, established by decree of King Minh Mang in 1835 (along with the Temple of Literature) to worship the martial gods and generals who quelled uprisings in the first half of the 19th century.

Although this structure was almost completely destroyed by war and time, with only five stone steles and some traces of the foundation remaining, it was listed by UNESCO as one of the 20 world cultural heritage sites in Hue .

According to the book "Dai Nam Thuc Luc", King Minh Mang decreed: "Those who are worshiped at the Vo Mieu must be those with clear merits and honors, kept intact from beginning to end, to clearly state the meaning of worship and set a lasting example for the future... Now approve: among the famous generals of the dynasties, choose Tran Quoc Tuan and Le Khoi; among the famous generals of our previous dynasties, choose Nguyen Huu Dat, Nguyen Huu Tien, Ton That Hoi and Nguyen Van Truong, all six people, to be worshiped as assistants in the left and right wings of the Vo Mieu".

Unlike the Temple of Literature which is still quite intact and about to be restored, the Temple of Martial Arts is gradually becoming a ruin and is at risk of being encroached upon and wiped out.

DAI TRANG - NHAT BAO

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/di-tich-van-mieu-vo-mieu-o-hue-xuong-cap-va-hoang-phe-post804654.html