Attractions

Unveiling Hanoi’s Hidden Treasures Within Its Historic School Walls

12 October, 2025

144

THE HANOI TIMES — Adventurers delving into Hanoi’s historic heart can now step into Trung Vuong School to uncover Cua Nam Harmony – Cultural Gateway: Connecting Heritage and Innovation, an exhibition that reveals lesser-known chapters of the capital’s rich history.

Explorers at the Cua Nam Harmony – Cultural Gateway Exhibition. Photo: Nguyen Hoang/ Kinh te & Do thi Newspaper

Nestled on Hang Bai Street in Cua Nam Ward, Trung Vuong Junior High School stands as one of Hanoi and Vietnam’s oldest Western-style educational institutions. Originally established in 1917 as a girls’ school on Dong Khanh Avenue (now Hang Bai Street), it was first known as Dong Khanh Girls’ School.

Later renamed the Girls’ Junior High School (Collège de Jeunes Filles in French), it has proudly borne the name Trung Vuong since 1948.

Visitors are often captivated by historian Tran Hau Yen The’s photographic collection, which highlights symbolic motifs of old Hanoi found within the school’s walls.

Notably, two original Indochinese-style reliefs adorning the gate of the former Council Building offer a glimpse into Vietnam’s intricate colonial and postcolonial identity.

A Unique Emblem of Old Hanoi

Both locals and tourists recognize Hanoi’s iconic landmarks: the Hanoi Flag Tower, Khue Van Pavilion, the Opera House, Dong Xuan Market, Long Bien Bridge, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the modern Nhat Tan Bridge. Equally familiar is the city’s current emblem—the Khue Van Pavilion, stylized as a hand raising the letter “H” (for Hanoi), a powerful and visually striking symbol.

Hanoi’s emblem from the 1880s. Photo: Tran Hau Yen The

Yet few are aware that Hanoi once boasted a different emblem during the 1880s under French colonial rule—a symbol that endures at the historic Trung Vuong School.

In archival photographs of Trung Vuong, or Dong Khanh Girls’ School, the old city emblem can be seen embossed atop the second floor of the main building. Featuring radiating sun rays, the emblem remains remarkably intact despite time eroding its delicate upper rays.

This emblem draws heavily from medieval European coats of arms, typically shield-shaped and associated with noble families and dynasties. At its apex is an image of a Western-style fortress with five watchtowers and five arched gates below.

In certain archival images, the fortress is depicted in fine detail, with every brick rendered. It forms a circle enclosing the sun, with rays alternating between straight and wavy lines. The structure itself resembles a crown, an image rooted in ancient Greek and Roman symbolism often representing cities.

Flanking the emblem are distinctly Western motifs: an oak branch on one side and an olive branch on the other, both deeply embedded in French culture.

From a European perspective, oak leaves symbolize strength and wisdom, while olive branches signify peace, prosperity, and abundance. The emblem even includes small olives and acorns nestled among the leaves.

A Blend of Western and Vietnamese Heritage

The historic Trung Vuong School, formerly Dong Khanh Girls’ School, in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the school

While the overall structure and side motifs reflect medieval French artistry, the central imagery is deeply rooted in Vietnamese heritage and cultural symbolism.

On the shield are two dragons, coiled and facing each other—sacred creatures in Vietnamese tradition tied to the founding legend of King Ly Thai To. Upon witnessing a golden dragon rise from the Red River, he renamed the capital from Dai La to Thang Long (Rising Dragon).

These dragons are rendered in a style deeply familiar to Vietnamese eyes. Their forms reflect traditional depictions from the Nguyen Dynasty, with scaled bodies, flowing manes, mustaches above their noses, four legs each bearing five claws, dorsal fins, and branching tails.

Between them stands an upright Western-style sword, large-bladed with a decorated hilt and guard reminiscent of motifs found on pedestals in ancient Roman and Greek art. Yet, for Vietnamese viewers, it resonates with the legend of King Le Thai To returning the sacred sword to the divine turtle—an act that gave Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword) its name.

The old school showcases unique Indochinese architecture. Photo courtesy of Trung Vuong School

Beneath the dragons and sword, the emblem reveals another layer of meaning: tidal waves, a tribute to Hanoi’s geography. The name “Hanoi” literally means “inside the river.” Much like Paris is inseparable from the Seine, Hanoi is forever linked with the Red River and its many lakes, including West Lake, Bay Mau Lake, Hoan Kiem Lake, and the former Huu Vong Lake.

In the French-era emblem atop Trung Vuong School, these wave patterns rise toward the midsection of the shield, level with the dragons’ bellies. Below their tails, the waves take the form of lotus petals, evoking the lotus throne found in Buddhist art.

In 1997, Hanoi launched a citywide design contest for a new emblem. The winning design, unveiled in 1999, was created by artist Pham Ngoc Tuan, a Vietnamese national residing in France. Featuring the Khue Van Pavilion, the new emblem was widely acclaimed for encapsulating Hanoi’s cultural essence.

It is celebrated as a beautiful and meaningful logo, reflecting Hanoi’s artistic and cultural spirit, its educational and humanistic traditions, and a reverence for the legacy of talent and virtue passed down through generations.

Whether through emblems or enduring landmarks, Hanoi remains etched in the hearts of many as a thousand-year-old city shaped by history, enriched by culture, and renowned for its grace and sophistication—a place where Vietnam’s cultural soul is eternally preserved.