Ho Hoan Kiem or Lake of the Returned Sword was once a part of the Red river (song Hong). Through thousands of years of changes in the geography, the lake moved eastward to its present position many kilometers from the river. The lake was once called Luc Thuy or Green Water because the water was green year round. In the fifteen century, the lake was named Ho Hoan Kiem, based of a legend that is quite similar to King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake's legend.
While fighting against the Chinese, King Le Thai To has in his possession a very valuable sword. After 10 years of continuous struggle, the King finally defeated the Chinese and reclaimed Vietnam's independence. One day, while sailing on lake Luc Thuy, a large turtle appeared. The king drew his sword and pointed at the creature. The turtle immediately grab hold of the sword with its mouth and submerged. The king mourned the lost of such valuable sword, demanded that the lake be emptied and dredged. Both the turtle and the sword were not found. The king realizing that the gods must have lent him the sword to drive back the enemy, but now that Vietnam is free, the sword must be returned. King Le Thai To named the lake Ho Hoan Kiem or Lake of the Returned Sword.

Since the reign of king Le Trung Hung (XVI century), every king in the Le dynasty, and Lord Trinh have all contributed to the beautification of the lake. Lord Trinh Giang built Khanh Thuy shrine on Ngoc island on the north end of the lake. He also had the two man made hills built across from Ngoc son Shrine.
At the end of the Le Dynasty, Khanh Thuy was destroyed by Chieu Thong. A philanthropist named Tin Trai built Ngoc Son pagoda. Ngoc Son pagoda was renamed Ngoc Son shrine during the reign of Thieu Tri III (1843) because it was no longer a Buddhist shrine. Instead, Ngoc Son is a shrine to Van Xuong, a deity, in charge of literature and the various tests required to become a mandarin. It is also a shrine to general Tran Hung Dao, a national hero responsible for many victories against the Mongols.

Since then Ngoc Son has gone through many renovations, one of which was the addition of Thap But (Pen Tower) on the hill which was once called Dao Tai. Three words inscribed on the tower "Ta Thien Thanh" or "write on blue sky". Inside the gate a pool resembling the shape of an ink well was added. Beyond the ink well is The Huc bridge or "where the sun light is absorbed". The bridge leads to Dac Nguyet Lau or "Moon Light tower" - Ngoc Son shrine. Beyond the gates to the shrine, there are two walls called bang Rong and bang Ho (dragon and tiger slate) where the names of those who passed the national test are inscribed.
On the southwest end of the lake is Thap Rua. It was rumored that king Le Thanh Tong used to fish here. Lord Trinh also built the structure to house his entourage while visiting the lake.

Fast Facts of Temple of Literature in Hanoi
- Address: Pho Van Mieu, at the corner of Pho Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi
- Contact Number: Phone: +84 4 3942 1061 (VNAT)
- Open from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday to Sunday

Temple of Literature in Hanoi preserves the academic and scholarly expertise of the capital of Vietnam. A popular spot for sightseeing in Hanoi, it also speaks about the gradual development of the city from just being the centre of colonial targets. Located in Pho Van Mieu i.e. at the corner of Pho Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi, Temple of Literature was built in 1070 so that academicians and literary men can be felicitated.
Van Mieu or Temple of Literature in Hanoi was established by King Ly Thanh Tong and it just took six years to graduate itself to a university in Hanoi in Vietnam. Actually in 1076 a university called Quoc Tu Giam was founded beside the complex so that it could function as a civil service college for the bureaucratic staff of the Ly state. This was a measure to commemorate Confucius and his 72 disciples. Later during the Mongol invasions, the civil service examination pattern of the university was modified so that even commoners could be served.
Even now, if you visit the courtyards, you will be able to enjoy the ambience of academics. After the Chinese regime between 1407 and 1427, Vietnamese leader Le Loi gifted a new library, lecture halls and introduced a poetry composition section to the examinations. It was during this time that the custom of engraving names of successful examinees on stone steles was introduced. However, the practice of holding the civil service examinations came to a grinding halt in 1919. Known as the first university in Vietnam, Temple of Literature remained redundant till it was again revived as a tourist spot.
Features of Temple of Literature in Hanoi
- The Temple of Literature or Van Mieu displays ancient Vietnamese architecture.
- There are five courtyards to denote five essential elements of Nature
- The premise is divided into two parts by a central path that represents the Middle Path preached in Confucianism.
- The first courtyard is the Entrance to the Way and the second courtyard is the Great Middle Gate.
- Thereafter you reach the Constellation of Literature Pavillion, which represents the city and leads you to the third courtyard, the Garden of the Stelae with stone turtles.
- You will find the names of its graduates encrypted on stone steles. You will also find stone tablets kept on the back of stone turtles
- After absorbing the dictums of Confucious, you can go to the fourth Courtyard of the Sages for offering worship to the great teacher.
- The fifth courtyard, the School for the Sons of the Nation, housed dormitories and classrooms for the university. It was all but destroyed by French shelling in 1947, and little remains of the original structure.
- You will have to buy a ticket to enter Temple of Literature in Hanoi