Lost in Time: Discovering the Splendor of Temple of Literature Tran Bien

If you get itchy feet, you want to go somewhere to search for the history and intriguing things, Temple of Literature Tran Bien is one of your best choices!

To my best knowledge, Temple of Literature Tran Bien is considered as the "Quoc Tu Giam" of the South. This is a symbol of the learning tradition, spirit and culture of the Vietnamese people in the South. In the land of Cochinchina in 1715, the first Temple of Literature was built. This place is not only a place to train talented people for the country but also a place to honor Confucius and other cultural celebrities of the Vietnamese nation from the past to the present. During the period of 1861, Tran Bien was destroyed by the French colonialists, then the Temple of Literature was started to be restored and rebuilt in 1998 and officially completed splendidly in 2002. 

From the main door entering, we can see it is in Eden including the stele house, Khue Van Cac, Thien Quang Tinh lake, Dai Thanh gate, Confucius church and finally is the main wide church. There is a 7-department architecture including the main department in the middle of the church, which is the place to worship President Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969). 

Symmetrical on both sides of the main altar to worship President Ho Chi Minh is the space to place tablets and worship cultural celebrities associated with the ancient land of Bien Hoa - Dong Nai and the South worship the typical cultural celebrity of Vietnam. In particular, there is a worshiping cabinet of 18 kg of soil and 18 liters of water taken from the monument of Hung Temple (Phu Tho) - a symbol of the origin of the Vietnamese nation. 

Nowadays, Tran Bien Temple of Literature is also a place to organize public announcements and honor talents in various fields, in addition, it is a place to organize activities to honor traditional cultural and educational values. On the 3rd day of the lunar new year every year, students from primary, secondary, high schools, universities and colleges in the region gather here to offer incense and flowers to express gratitude to the sages or their teachers. 

Not only containing cultural and historical values, Tran Bien Temple of Literature is also a unique work of art and architecture with a cool landscape, both ancient and elegant, so it attracts a large range tourist everywhere.

15/02/2023

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