In the hustle and bustle of downtown Hanoi, our two little foreigner selves had managed to somehow find our way to the correct street. We’d set out for a day of exploration in the city, starting with the Temple of Literature. Nestled in the heart of Hanoi, all 580,000 square feet of this walled temple are dedicated to Confucius, past sages, and scholars. Though it sounds like it would be a giant library, the purpose of this structure was more academic in nature. Built in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, the temple originally housed the Imperial Academy—Vietnam’s first national university. Starting in 1076, male members of the royal family, wealthy landowners, and nobles studied and took exams there until the university was relocated to Hue in 1779. To put that in perspective, in 1076, William the Conqueror was alive and doing his thing—conquering, being king, all that. Fast forward 703 years to 1779, and you’d find America deep in the Revolutionary War. Not to state the obvious, but that’s quite a lifespan for a university. Today, the temple is open to the public for a small fee, where locals and tourists alike can walk the grounds. If inclined, visitors can also pray to Confucius at any of the shrines, or leave offerings.
Once you walk through the entrance gate, the path diverges into three stone walkways, reserved for different social classes. Back in the day, only monarchs could walk on the middle path. John and I, the rebels that we are, decided to walk a bit on the middle path – scandalous. We wandered past a large rectangular pool filled with green water that was probably once pristinely clear. The air was particularly noxious that day, so I wore masks the entire time. Fun fact: Hanoi’s air quality can sometimes reach 179—compared to the healthy range of 0-50. Another fun fact: as of 2023, Hanoi had 7.8 million (mostly gas-powered) registered vehicles for a population of just over 8 million. Quite lovely. Anyways, when the pollution is especially bad, the smell of exhaust vanishes if you wear an N95 – so hot tip folks, bring your masks or purchase some when you come to Hanoi.
After staring at the green water for a bit, we made our way into the next courtyard. The temple has five courtyards in all. The first two were created to be tranquil spaces where scholars could roam without the worry or stress of their studies. Big banyan trees dotted the grounds here, and you could almost see how lush and green these spaces must have looked.
The third courtyard has a massive rectangular pool called the Thien Quang Well, where over 50 sparkly koi fish live. When we looked down into the pool, most of the koi were flopping over each other in a 2’ by 2’ section. I watched as a local reached his arm over the side of the well and wiggled his fingers above the koi. He didn’t have food, and yet the koi were clamoring to the spot where he was wiggling his fingers. It felt like I was witnessing a type of sorcery, but I’m guessing they were just fed – but who knows, maybe magic does exist? In this area, we also found the revered blue stone steles: national holy animal sculptures (mostly turtles) with tombstone-like tablets rising from their backs. Each stele contains the names and birthplaces of the 1,307 graduates of the grueling royal exams. The farther down the row of steles you looked, the shape and size of the turtles change representing the passage of time.
The fourth and fifth courtyards contain indoor spaces dedicated to Confucius shrines and worship. A large black stone statue of Chu Van An, a rector of the academy, sat in the final part of the temple. Here, many visitors stopped to pray, briefly pressing their hands together and bowing their heads in respect. Beautiful red wooden beams adorned with golden writing were found all throughout this room. Among the offerings left behind at Chu Van An’s shrine, we noticed someone left an entire six-pack of Red Bull—along with fruit piles, Vietnamese dong (official currency), and lanterns. The silence of those in prayer mixed with people were walking around taking pictures of the shrine was slightly uncomfortable. It was unclear what the proper protocol was for taking pictures, though pictures weren’t actively discouraged in any part of the temple. I guess’s how it goes when a temple is acting as both an active place of worship and a tourist attraction. There were also tourists who brought professional cameras for photo shoots in the temple, so it was a bit of a mix.
After the temple, John and I walked for about 10 minutes, dodging scooters, looking out for trash piles on the sidewalks, and meandering around local street food carts, until we arrived at Train Street. Even though it’s not a shopping district for model trains (big bummer honestly), it was still very cool. Train Street is a stretch of restaurants and shops that sandwich a functioning train track. Here, restaurant owners openly encourage customers to come sit and eat, by waving them over. Bright lights, lanterns, and quirky names like “Anna Coffee” decorate the storefronts. In front of the restaurants are their seating areas, right up against the track. While diners enjoy their meals (which are all cooked at shared kitchens as there’s not enough space in every restaurant), vendors walk up and down selling fruit, cigarettes, and pop-up greeting cards.
At different times, a train does runs through the area, which is a big draw for tourists (like us!). About 15 minutes before it arrives, restaurant owners begin moving tables and chairs out of harm’s way—though only far enough that visitors won’t get hit as they watch the train go by. Police and security also walk the tracks, calling for people to “get back.” Then, once the train whistle blows, everyone cranes their necks to get their first glimpse of it. The train doesn’t move particularly fast, and luckily, no one has died. One person did get injured, but he lived to tell the tale.
Wanting to see the action, we found space at a small café, where the owner motioned us to sit in two wooden chairs a bit further back from the track (though they were moved up to the front before the train passed). John ordered traditional Vietnamese egg coffee—a rich, frothy beverage made with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk, and robust Vietnamese coffee. I got an iced drink which was a mistake in hindsight, sorry stomach. At 5:30pm we waited in anticipation for the train to roll through. The minutes ticked by, then finally we heard the train whistle in the distance. Aaaaaand whoosh, there it was. John and I were about eye level to the bottom of the passenger door when it went by. I’d say it was no further than a few feet from us. Feeling the rush of wind from the train on your face while passengers peer curiously down at you is certainly one for the books. We looked at each other and mouthed, “this is so cool!” Honestly you guys, I’ve never had such an up-close and personal look at train wheels in motion before.
Once the train had passed, we made our own way down the tracks to the exit. A popular tourist activity is placing bottle caps on the tracks to get them flattened as souvenirs, and we saw a number of people looking for theirs. The ground was a bit muddy from rain the day before, so we made sure to only step on the wooden slats between the rails. All in all, it was definitely a worthwhile outing.
-W