Centuries long learning

Doctoral Seals date back to the 14 cent.

We visited the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), dedicated to Confucius.

Amazingly this was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong in 1076, and was Vietnam's first university established here to educate Vietnam's administrative and warriors class.

It was quite sobering to wander around the grounds of this august institution and think that Europeans were in the early part of the dark ages when they were issuing doctoral seals to students. The stones have the names of the students who were issued there doctoral seals. The first was around 1400 or so.

Interestingly many of the stones have one name line erased, I can´t help wonder why, was it some kind of historical revisionism by a some who wished to remove a credited family name.

Who knows, I asked a guide who said it was mostly likely a error corrected by the university, I think not ... Still it was a very tranquil place and I sat for a period and contemplated the learning that must have taken place here over the centuries.

Roses to die for

How much would we pay for long stemmed roses in Australia? A few dollars a stem maybe?

The flowers of Hanoi in May are lilies and roses - simply gorgeous.

They're sold by women with bikes ladened with colour and perfume, and for a song....


image: robynejay

Gems on Van Mieu

En route to the Temple of Literature today we came across two little gems on Pho Van Mieu which are well worth a visit if youŕe heading this way.

First @ number 43 was Craft Link, a not-for-profit organisation that sells ethnic weaving and craft at fair trade prices, and apparently also funds community development activities for the artists. The collection wasn´t huge but the quality good and prices very reasonable, and it was such a relief to browse freely without avid sellers breathing down our necks. My treasured purchase was a gorgeous red silk Khmer weaving ($20).

Just a few doors down @ 59 we stopped for lunch and a fantastic cappuccino at KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a vocational training hospitality school for disadvantaged kids here in Hanoi. There are clearly strong links to the program from Oz and it appears that its a potential destination for Australian Volunteers Abroad. Theyŕe clearly doing really well, now making a profit and expanding to other countries. Food, service, setting and prices were all superb! Our VET system in Australia could learn a thing or two....

image: robynejay