Van Mieu - The Temple of Literature
In another effort to find the perfect analog library to digitize, Patrick and I rented bicycles and explored the Perfume River inland away from the ocean, stopping at Van Mieu, or the “Temple of Literature.” This national temple to Confucius was dedicated in 1808 by Gia Long of the Nguyen dynasty. Little remains of the complex, but there are 32 stone stelae listing the names of the 297 recipients of doctorates from exams held between 1822 and 1919, a practice we could perhaps adopt at Simmons GSLIS. Two other stelae, under small shelters, are edicts from Ming Mang and Trieu Tri banning, as the Rough Guide to Vietnam says, the “abuse of eunuchs and royal maternal relatives.” Fortunately, these vices are no longer problems. However, a rubbing of these edicts did not seem to be a suitable starting place for our digital library, and so we biked on.