Temple of the Jade Mountain in Ha Noi Vietnam

The "Morning sunlight bridge" leading  to the "Jade islet" in the "Hoàn Kiếm Lake" where the "Temple of the Jade Mountain" is located.
The “Morning sunlight bridge” leading to the “Jade islet” in the “Hoàn Kiếm Lake” where the “Temple of the Jade Mountain” is located.

Temple of the Jade Mountain (Ngoc Son Temple) in the central Ha Noi’s Hoàn Kiếm Lake is dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosophers and to the Vietnamese national hero Trần Hưng Đạo (b 1228 – d 1300). When the temple was built sometime in the 18th century it was just a small temple, but after an expansion in 1865 more buildings were added.

The gate to enter the temple.
The gate to enter the temple.

Hoàn Kiếm Lake (the name of the lake in English means something along the lines of “Lake of the returned sword”), the lake has had different names over time, one of them in English was the “Green water lake” which refers to the color of the water in the shallow lake, the depth is between 1.2 and 2 meters.

A mural relief of a Lion just inside the landside entrance to the temple of the Jade Mountain.
A mural relief of a Lion just inside the landside entrance to the temple of the Jade Mountain.
The "Morning sunlight bridge".
The “Morning sunlight bridge”.

Today the centrally located lake and it’s surroundings is a gathering place for locals as well as for tourists. The lake is also a part of a legend that includes Vietnam’s greatest hero and one of the most famous persons in Vietnamese history Emperor Lê Lợi.

The portal on the island.
The portal on the island.
Detail of the mural on the right side of the portal.
Detail of the mural on the right side of the portal.
Temple of the Jade mountain.
Temple of the Jade mountain.
Interior of the temple.
Interior of the temple.

The legend starts in the Thanh Hóa province, some 150 km south of Ha Noi. During his evening fishing expedition on the local lake, fisherman Lê Thận caught something heavy in his nets and felt excited about such a big catch. The catch turned out not to be a big fish, but just a piece of metal. Disappointed, he threw the piece of metal back into the water and cast his net again. When he pulled the net in, he found that the piece of metal had yet again made its way back into his net. He mustered all his strength and threw the piece of metal back into the water, this time far away enough that he felt certain that it could not make it’s way into his net again. However, after casting his net again with the same result – the piece of metal was once again in his net, he shun his light on the piece of metal and then he realized that it was in fact the blade of a sword. He brought the blade with him home after his fishing expedition ended and put it away in a corner in his house.

A few years later Lê Thận joined the army of the rebel leader Lê Lợi to fight against the Chinese incursion into Vietnam, he was very successful on the battlefield and quickly rose through the ranks. The warrior Lê Thận caught the eye of the general and the two became friends. When general Lê Lợi visited Lê Thận at his home, the dark home suddenly became lit up from the glow of the sword blade that was sitting in the corner where Lê Thận had placed it after he brought it home. Lê Lợi felt that this had somehow come about as a result of his presence in the home and he grabbed the blade and held it up to look at it. Before his eyes the words “Thuận Thiên” (Will of Heaven) appeared on the blade. With the permission of Lê Thận, general Lê Lợi brought the blade with him when he left.

One day while fighting the Chinese enemies, general Lê Lợi saw a Banyan tree up on a hill that was emitting a strange glow from it’s branches. He climbed the hill and under the Banyan tree he found the hilt of a sword. It was beautifully decorated with precious gem stones. He immediately thought of the sword blade he had brought from the home of Lê Thận, and brought it out and placed the hilt on the blade. It was a perfect fit. Lê Lợi thought this was a sign from heaven that he had been chosen to free the land, so he rallied his troops and went to war to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. The sword helped them win many battles against the Chinese and they finally drove them out of Vietnam. Lê Lợi ascended the throne as emperor of Vietnam in 1428 (Emperor Lê Lợi ruled Vietnam 1428–1433).

Hoan Kiem turtle is on display at the temple.
An embalmed Hoan Kiem turtle that died in 1967 is on display at the temple.

Later when emperor Lê Lợi was in a dragon boat on the Hồ Lục Thủy (Green water lake). The lake was located just in front of the emperor’s palace, and according to the legend, a Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) came to him and asked him for his magic sword. Lê Lợi assumed that the Golden Turtle God was acting on orders from the Dragon King who was seeking to reclaim the sword that he had given to Lê Lợi during his fight against the Chinese. When the emperor looked down at the sword in his belt he saw it starting to move on its own. The Golden Turtle God came up next to to the emperor in the boat and with a human voice asked him to give the sword back to the Dragon King. Emperor Lê Lợi then realized that the sword had just been lent to him to free the land and that it should be returned to the Dragon King who lives under water in the lake. He then threw the sword towards the golden turtle and the turtle caught it in his mouth and disappeared. In commemoration of this event the lake was renamed from Luc Thuy “Green Water Lake” to the current Hoàn Kiếm Lake (Lake of the returned sword).

An embalmed Hoan Kiem turtle that died in he lake in 2016 was put on display at the temple in 2019.

The turtles in the lake are likely of the species Rafetus Swinhoe (Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle) , although some Vietnamese biologists claim that the turtles in the Hoan Kiem lake is a distinct species separate from the Rafetus Swinhoei species. If it is a separate species it is at this time extinct since the last known turtle in the lake died in 2016 and is embalmed and on display in the temple. Of Rafetus Swinhoei there are only three known specimen in the world that are known to be alive.

Temple decoration.
Temple decoration.
Temple interior.
Temple interior.
The devil in the temple.
The devil in the temple.
An assortment of weapons in the temple.
An assortment of weapons in the temple.
A beautifully adorned horse.
A beautifully adorned horse.
Bonsai outside the temple lakeside.
Bonsai outside the temple lakeside.

Temple of Literature is in Vietnam

Entrance portal to the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi Vietnam.

Any county that dedicates a temple to literature and culture must be an advanced and forward thinking country, one that did it in the year 1070 is just awesome!

The Temple of Literature, or Culture, in Ha Noi Vietnam is a “Temple of Confucius” which is a temple that honors Confucius and other philosophers and thinkers in the realm of Confucianism. The temple was built in 1070, at the time when Vietnam was ruled by the Emperor  Lý Thánh Tông (1054-1072). In 1076 the first National University in Vietnam was established on the grounds of the temple.

Temple of Literature Tiger wall relief at the entrance.
Temple of Literature Tiger wall relief at the entrance.

The grounds are beautiful with many ponds and old majestic trees. The temple has five courtyards and each has an entrance gate. There are many ponds filled with Koi and Lotus flowers throughout the grounds of the temple.

One of the ponds to the left in this picture.
One of the ponds to the left in this picture.

A closer look at one of the ponds with the beautiful Lotus flowers.
A closer look at one of the ponds with the beautiful Lotus flowers.
One of the beautiful Lotus flowers in the pond.
One of the beautiful Lotus flowers in the pond.
The seed pod of the spent Lotus flower.
The seed pod of the spent Lotus flower.
One of many old majestic tree on the grounds.

The big Koi pond is called Thien Quang well and is in the third courtyard.
The big Koi pond is called Thien Quang well and is in the third courtyard.
The entrance gate,  gate of Great Synthesis, leading to the fourth courtyard.
The entrance gate, gate of Great Synthesis, leading to the fourth courtyard.
This is a detail of the gate of Great Synthesis door panel.
This is a detail of the gate of Great Synthesis door panel.

The fifth courtyard was originally constructed in 1076 when the University was established. The courtyard was destroyed by the French during war in 1946 but was reconstructed in the year 2000. It honors important scholars and is a sacred place to the Vietnamese people.

The fifth courtyard at the Temple of Literature.
The fifth courtyard at the Temple of Literature.
A Bonzai tree at the Temple of Literature.
A Bonzai tree at the Temple of Literature.
An urn at the temple.
An urn at the temple.
Confucius himself, the Master...
Confucius himself, the Master…
Two of Confucius disciples.
Two of Confucius disciples.

According to Sima Qian, Confucius said: “The disciples who received my instructions, and could themselves comprehend them, were seventy-seven individuals. They were all scholars of extraordinary ability.” Wikipedia

Crane on Turtle statue.
Crane on Turtle statue.

The Crane and the Turtle

From Wikipedia: “Another important animal is the crane, which is included in a famous Vietnamese story with the turtle. The story says that there once was a drought and the turtle needed water to stay alive. The crane saw he was in trouble, and flew him to the nearest water source. Later there was a flood and the crane had no place to land, so the turtle let the crane stand on his back until the flood was over. This story shows symbiosis, or friendship. This is shown by how the two animals helped each other when they were in trouble.”

In Vietnamese animal symbolism the Turtle represents protection.
In Vietnamese animal symbolism the Turtle represents protection.
One happy visitor at the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi!
One happy visitor at the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi!

Fortune in Calligraphy at the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi

From our friends at VN Express International:

“On the second day of Tet, the Lunar New Year, thousands of people go to the Temple of Literature in the capital city’s Dong Da District to light incense and pray for progress on their learning paths, good exam scores and get the ‘magic’ calligraphy that will help their wishes be granted. The venue, Vietnam’s first university built in 1070, has become a sacred place for most Vietnamese people.”

Turtle steles with names of people who have been successful at the Royal exams.
Turtle steles with names of people who have been successful at the Royal exams.
From the fifth courtyard.
From the fifth courtyard.

Exit through the gift shop!

This lady can show you all the items in the gift shop and even sell you a fountain pen to write your latest novel with.
Flowers are beautiful in Vietnam!
Flowers are beautiful in Vietnam!