On Trần Phú Street, which runs along the riverbank, you come to a three-entrance gate (tam quan) with three tiers of roofs, topped by a pair of dragons facing the sun, with two side gates in the old tower style on either side. Beyond the gate runs the spirit way, a straight path between two rows of ancient trees, with three stone steles standing along it. At the end of the path is the Hall of Great Accomplishment (điện Đại Thành). But what people remember about this place stands to one side: a two-story pavilion, roof upon roof, called the Văn Xương Các.
The southern land of Cochinchina under the Nguyễn had only three temples of literature, at Biên Hòa, Gia Định and Vĩnh Long. The one at Vĩnh Long was built last, and it is the only one still standing today. What sets it apart from the temples of the north lies in that pavilion: here the honoring of the teacher does not stand alone but goes hand in hand with a place to keep books and a place to sit and discuss literature.
IConfucius, the Twelve Philosophers and three teachers of the south
According to Vĩnh Long Tourist, the central bay of the Hall of Great Accomplishment honors Confucius, flanked by the altars of the Twelve Philosophers (Thập nhị hiền), with an altar to Chu Văn An in front. The Left and Right Cloisters honor the Seventy-two Worthies (Thất thập nhị hiền), seventy-two disciples of Confucius. The Văn Xương Các holds a shrine to Võ Trường Toản and Phan Thanh Giản, and its upper floor honors three figures of Văn Xương Đế Quân (Wenchang Dijun), the god in charge of literature.
The three Chinese characters at the top of this article are the library's own rendering of the name in Sino-Vietnamese, not copied from a signboard at the site.
The Twelve Philosophers are twelve worthies among the disciples and successors of Confucius. In the later custom of temples of literature, this group comprises the Ten Philosophers plus You Ruo (Hữu Nhược), a disciple of Confucius, and Zhu Xi (Chu Hy), a Confucian of the Song dynasty. Placing Zhu Xi in this group is the way the custom of temples of literature acknowledged Song Neo-Confucian learning, which framed the examinations of the Nguyễn period.
The three Vietnamese figures honored here form another layer. Chu Văn An was the teacher of Confucian learning in Đại Việt, Võ Trường Toản was the teacher who opened a school in the Gia Định region in the 18th century, and Phan Thanh Giản was the imperial commissioner (Kinh lược sứ) tied to the building of this temple. Three men from three eras, sharing one role as teachers of those who study.
The altar of Văn Xương Đế Quân on the upper floor of the Văn Xương Các deserves attention. Văn Xương Đế Quân, the god in charge of literature and examinations, is a deity worshipped in Taoism. Placing a god of literature within the plan of a Temple of Literature shows that the scholars of old did not separate Confucianism and Taoism as neatly as books do: honoring Confucius was honoring the teacher, while honoring the god of literature was praying for success in study.
Many people think the south had as many temples of literature as the north. According to Vĩnh Long Tourist, the whole of Cochinchina under the Nguyễn built only three: Biên Hòa in 1715, Gia Định in 1824 and Vĩnh Long in 1866. The Trấn Biên Temple of Literature at Biên Hòa came first but is now an entirely new reconstruction from 1998, see the article on the Trấn Biên Temple of Literature. The Gia Định temple no longer exists. The Vĩnh Long Văn Thánh Miếu was built last, yet it is the only one that still has its old buildings. The other small văn thánh miếu of the Mekong Delta, such as the one at Cao Lãnh, were prefecture-level temples and are not counted among these three.
IIFrom Long Hồ hamlet to the three names of a pavilion
The temple was built on the land of the old Long Hồ hamlet, next to the provincial seat of Vĩnh Long. The founding stele carries a line to the effect that an auspicious day was chosen to build a temple honoring Confucius (Nhân Dân). Three years after the temple was finished, the Văn Xương Các was finished too, and that pavilion has a history of changing names all its own.
- 1864Work beginsIn the winter of the Giáp Tý year, according to Nhân Dân. The man in charge was the education officer (Đốc học) Nguyễn Thông, working with the imperial commissioner Phan Thanh Giản. See the box on conflicting sources below.
- 1866The temple is finishedIn the autumn of the Bính Dần year, according to Nhân Dân. Vĩnh Long Tourist takes this as the year of building.
- 1869The pavilion is finishedBáo Cần Thơ records that a Tân Đình was built this year on the right of the entrance. Vĩnh Long Tourist lists Thơ lầu, Tân đình and Tụy Văn lâu as other names of the Văn Xương Các.
- 1872Renamed Tụy Văn Lâu, a stele erectedThe pavilion was renamed Tụy Văn Lâu. In the same year Trương Ngọc Lang erected the most important stele on the spirit way, with a text composed by Phan Thanh Giản (Nhân Dân).
- 1914The name Văn Xương CácOne Nhân Dân article gives this as the year the pavilion was renamed Văn Xương Các. Another says the pavilion was restored in 1914, and that the name Văn Xương Các dates from around 1920 to 1923.
- 1991National heritage siteRecognized as a national historical and cultural heritage site on 25 March 1991 (Vĩnh Long Tourist, Nhân Dân).
- 2024The festival enters the heritage listThe Văn Thánh Miếu festival was recognized as national intangible cultural heritage (Nhân Dân).
On four points the sources for this place do not agree.
Year of building. Nhân Dân gives the start of work as 1864 and completion as 1866. Vĩnh Long Tourist gives 1866 as the year of building. Báo Giáo dục Việt Nam gives 1863.
Who took the initiative. One Nhân Dân article says the education officer Nguyễn Thông proposed it. Báo Giáo dục Việt Nam says the imperial commissioner Phan Thanh Giản built it. Another Nhân Dân article joins the two: the commissioner decided on it and charged the education officer with finding land and seeing to the building. This reading is reasonable, but the library has not been able to read any original document that confirms it.
The name and the date of the Văn Xương Các. As noted at 1914, two articles in the same newspaper give two different dates for the change of name. The date the pavilion was built is not certain either: the stele by Phan Thanh Giản, written before 1867 and reproduced in Báo Cần Thơ, already mentions a book tower built outside the wall, on the left near the river, while Báo Cần Thơ gives 1869 for the building of the Tân Đình.
The river in front. Vĩnh Long Tourist says the temple faces the Long Hồ River. Some accounts describe it as beside the Cổ Chiên River. The Long Hồ River runs through the city and then flows into the Cổ Chiên, so the library follows Vĩnh Long Tourist.
IIIThe spirit way, the Hall of Great Accomplishment and the book pavilion
The grounds cover 10,322 square meters (Vĩnh Long Tourist). The layout runs from outside inward along one axis: the three-entrance gate, the spirit way with its steles, then the Hall of Great Accomplishment with its two cloisters. The Văn Xương Các stands off to one side of the main axis, as a building with its own function rather than one layer of the axis of worship.
Three tiers of roofs, topped by two dragons facing the sun, with two side gates in the old tower style (Vĩnh Long Tourist).
The central path between two rows of ancient trees, with three stone steles along it recording stages in the temple's history. The most important, with a text by Phan Thanh Giản, was erected in 1872.
The main hall of worship, in the trùng thiềm điệp ốc style, with several layers of roofs joined one behind another. The central bay holds the altar of Confucius, flanked by the altars of the Twelve Philosophers, with the altar of Chu Văn An in front.
Two ranges honoring the Seventy-two Worthies, facing each other on either side of the courtyard of the hall (Vĩnh Long Tourist, Nam Kỳ Lục Tỉnh).
A two-story pavilion with stacked roofs. The upper floor stores books and honors Văn Xương Đế Quân, and the lower floor is where students and poets met to discuss literature (Nhân Dân). It holds a shrine to Võ Trường Toản and Phan Thanh Giản.
Temples of literature in the north usually have a bell and drum tower or a small Khuê Văn pavilion to look at, and seldom a real pavilion for storing books and holding meetings. The Văn Xương Các at Vĩnh Long was a working place for scholars, not only a symbol. The lower floor was for the living to sit and discuss literature, and the upper floor kept the books and the altar of the god of literature. Reading this pavilion from the bottom up is reading the outlook of the people of old: books placed high, scholars seated below.
One small point is often confused: some travel pages attach the details of the Văn Xương Các and the dates 1864 to 1866 to the văn thánh miếu at Cao Lãnh. Those details belong to Vĩnh Long.
IVThe lie of the land and the facing
The records of the Vĩnh Long Văn Thánh Miếu give only one detail about the lie of the land: the temple faces the river. The rest, in the box below, is the library's reading according to traditional feng shui, offered for comparison to those familiar with that tradition, and not something recorded on the steles.
The Mekong Delta has no mountains. Those who read the land in the Mekong region therefore do not look for a mountain to lean on but read the water above all, and here the water lies right in front of the gate. According to Vĩnh Long Tourist, the front of the temple meets the road and faces the Long Hồ River. The river in front plays the role of the bright hall (minh đường), the open space with water flowing past, a configuration that traditional feng shui considers sufficient for a place of worship on the plain.
The second point is the spirit way. The straight path between two rows of ancient trees from the gate to the hall is an axis that channels qi. In the old reading, the longer and straighter the axis, the more the qi gathers toward its end, and at the end of this axis stands the altar of Confucius. The three steles along the path do one more thing: whoever walks in must pass the written word before reaching the place of worship.
The third point is the off-axis position of the Văn Xương Các. Had the book pavilion been placed on the axis, it would have competed with the hall of worship. Setting it to one side keeps a single master on the axis of worship, while the book pavilion stands like a supporting arm. The pavilion has two floors and stands tall in a low garden, which in the old reading is where the qi of letters is raised.
Finally, Vĩnh Long today is a city, and the temple sits among streets. The library reads no further dragon vein (long mạch) here. What can still be seen is the relation between the temple and the river in front of its gate, and that relation has existed since the day the temple was built.
VThe Xuân Đinh and Thu Đinh rites and the 7th-month memorial
The Vĩnh Long Văn Thánh Miếu keeps the sacrifices prescribed for temples of literature: the spring sacrifice on the first Đinh day of the 2nd lunar month and the autumn sacrifice on the last Đinh day of the 8th lunar month (Nhân Dân). In addition, the Văn Xương Các holds the memorial for Phan Thanh Giản in the 7th lunar month and the memorial for the high officials on the 12th and 13th days of the 10th lunar month (Vĩnh Long Tourist, Nhân Dân). In 2024 the Văn Thánh Miếu festival was entered on the list of national intangible cultural heritage.
| Lunar timing | Rite | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| The first Đinh day of the 2nd month | The Xuân Đinh sacrifice | The spring sacrifice to Confucius prescribed for temples of literature, in the Hall of Great Accomplishment. |
| The last Đinh day of the 8th month | The Thu Đinh sacrifice | The second sacrifice of the year, with the same ritual as in spring. |
| The 4th and 5th days of the 7th month | Memorial for Phan Thanh Giản | The memorial rite for the imperial commissioner honored in the grounds. |
In the same city are the Vĩnh Long Cathedral, about 2.5 kilometers away, and Tịnh xá Ngọc Viên, about 2.6 kilometers away. They are places of worship of other religions, with other customs, mentioned here only so that you know where they are if you wish to visit them on the same trip.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Đường Trần Phú, phường Phước Hậu (Phường 4 cũ, thành phố Vĩnh Long cũ), tỉnh Vĩnh Long. Đất thôn Long Hồ xưa
- Getting there
- On Trần Phú Street, Phước Hậu ward, Vĩnh Long province, on the land of the former Ward 4 of the former Vĩnh Long city, that is, the old Long Hồ hamlet, along the bank of the Long Hồ River.
- Coordinates
- 10.2427, 105.9844
The customs are those of a Temple of Literature. Visitors are expected to offer incense, flowers and tea in the Hall of Great Accomplishment, not to place meat offerings and not to burn votive paper before the altar of Confucius. On the spirit way, visitors are expected to keep to the side and not stand blocking the path in front of the three steles. The Văn Xương Các is a two-story wooden building, so visitors are expected to go up and down as the caretakers direct and not to lean on the railings or touch the shrine.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
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?Quick Questions
Who is worshipped at the Vĩnh Long Văn Thánh Miếu
The Hall of Great Accomplishment honors Confucius in its central bay, flanked by the Twelve Philosophers, with the altar of Chu Văn An in front. The Left and Right Cloisters honor the Seventy-two Worthies. The Văn Xương Các holds a shrine to Võ Trường Toản and Phan Thanh Giản, and its upper floor honors Văn Xương Đế Quân, the god in charge of literature.
When was the Vĩnh Long Văn Thánh Miếu built
The sources differ. Nhân Dân gives the start of work as the winter of 1864 and completion as the autumn of 1866. Vĩnh Long Tourist gives 1866 as the year of building, and Báo Giáo dục Việt Nam gives 1863. The Văn Xương Các was finished in 1869.
What is the Văn Xương Các
It is the two-story pavilion in the grounds of the Văn Thánh Miếu. Báo Cần Thơ records the building of the Tân Đình in 1869, and in 1872 it took the name Tụy Văn Lâu, later becoming the Văn Xương Các. The upper floor stores books and honors the god of literature, and the lower floor is where students met to discuss literature.
How many temples of literature did Cochinchina have
According to Vĩnh Long Tourist, Cochinchina under the Nguyễn had three temples of literature: Biên Hòa in 1715, Gia Định in 1824 and Vĩnh Long in 1866. Only the one at Vĩnh Long still has its old buildings. The Trấn Biên Temple of Literature at Biên Hòa is now an entirely new reconstruction.
When are the rites at the Vĩnh Long Văn Thánh Miếu
The Xuân Đinh sacrifice falls on the first Đinh day of the 2nd lunar month and the Thu Đinh sacrifice on the last Đinh day of the 8th lunar month. The memorial for Phan Thanh Giản falls on the 4th and 5th days of the 7th lunar month. In 2024 the Văn Thánh Miếu festival was entered on the list of national intangible cultural heritage.