A new overall map and visitor guide leaflet have been launched at Hanoi's Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giang Special National Relic Site to help visitors navigate the grounds and understand its historical and cultural value.
The launch was part of activities marking the 950th anniversary of Quoc Tu Giang's establishment in 1076, commemorated in 2026. The complex covers more than 54,000 sq.m and contains several layers of historical and architectural spaces.
The map shows the site's layout, structures and main attractions. The leaflet covers its history and architecture, historical figures, and cultural and educational value, using maps, images and explanatory text.
The project was developed by the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giang Centre for Cultural and Scientific Activities, the French Embassy, the French Institute in Vietnam and Hanoi Architectural University. The partners will continue research, collection and digitisation and plan a multilingual digital platform.
The platform will bring together historical documents, stone inscriptions, lacquered boards, parallel sentences, royal decrees and archival materials related to the site, the history of education and Vietnam's Confucian examination system. Interactive maps, QR codes and digital interpretation tools are also planned.
The partners want to develop themed heritage routes, first within the site and later possibly linking it with Van Mieu temples, altars dedicated to Confucian scholars and villages known for successful candidates in traditional examinations.
Pham Xuan Tai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said conservation should be accompanied by efforts to help the public understand heritage. Eric Soulier of the French Embassy and French Institute said the site remained part of Hanoi's cultural life and supported research and Vietnam-France cooperation.
Nguyen Tuan Anh, Vice Rector of Hanoi Architectural University, said the project continued nearly 30 years of cooperation with French educational institutions, agencies and partners in education, training and research.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
