Lifestyle

Celebrating Vietnam’s Educational Heritage: An Art Exhibition at the Temple of Literature

10 January, 2026

THE HANOI TIMES — The art exhibition, “A Thousand Years of Learning,” opened on December 30 at the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), honoring Vietnam’s enduring legacy of scholarship, respect for educators, and the timeless educational values that have shaped the nation’s cultural identity.

Curated by the “Ancient Traces of Culture” art group, this exhibition seamlessly blends classical heritage with contemporary artistic expression, fostering a dialogue between tradition and modern creativity.

*Inspired by Thang Long-Hanoi’s rich cultural heritage and history. Photos: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times*

The exhibition is structured around three themes: the tradition of learning, festivals, and the fusion of scholarship with celebration.

Artists utilize a diverse range of materials—light, wood, silk, metal, poonah paper, and ceramics—combined with contemporary installation and sculptural techniques to bring their visions to life.

Iconic cultural symbols, including Chu Van An, scholars, dragons, phoenixes, and traditional festivals, trace Vietnam’s historical journey of learning, self-cultivation, and service.

According to artist Vu Xuan Dong, a representative of the group, light serves as the central medium, uniting traditional and modern materials to create immersive, interactive spaces.

Visitors are encouraged to engage directly with the artworks, moving through and even within them, to connect with their philosophical essence. Each artist contributes a unique visual perspective to a shared cultural narrative.

*The exhibition captivates foreign visitors.*

By Lamplight, by painter Pham Hung Anh, draws inspiration from the folk legend of the carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, a symbol of scholarly success and official recognition in Confucian tradition.

Historically, this motif appears in relief on the left side of the Tam Quan gate at the Temple of Literature, highlighting its deep roots in Vietnam’s educational heritage.

The artwork takes the form of a lamp shaped like a droplet, symbolizing water, ink, and the sweat of scholars past and present.

Its intricate surfaces are adorned with classical motifs such as Ly Dynasty dragons, Le Dynasty clouds, the Bell Pavilion, the Drum Pavilion, and the Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of Constellation), all enduring symbols of Hanoi’s cultural and scholarly legacy.

Through this composition, artist Hung Anh conveys a clear message: true achievement stems from sustained effort, perseverance, and the courage to overcome adversity.

*A closer look at Pham Hung Anh’s artwork.*

Dragon Gate, by painter Phan Minh Bach, employs the imagery of the Five Pillars of Heaven to symbolize aspiration and humanity’s drive toward elevation and self-transcendence.

Under the festival theme, Imperial Capital Festival by artist Le Thi Thanh recreates the vibrant atmosphere of Hanoi’s celebrations through seven iconic festivals.

Her work resembles a giant lantern glowing within the Temple of Literature, where memory and present reality merge in the rhythm of imperial life.

With The Essence of Learning the Way, painter Nguyen Tuan Dung portrays the Confucian scholarly journey, from self-cultivation and study to success and honored return, woven into the festive pulse of tradition.

Images of carp transforming into dragons, flowing dragon forms, and layered light create a sacred yet dynamic space, reflecting the continuity of Vietnamese learning in contemporary life.

Flying Clouds, Blooming Flowers, by artist Vu Xuan Dong, draws inspiration from Ly Dynasty patterns. It blends imagery of examinations, historical figures, and Thang Long festivals to form a shimmering “spring of knowledge” suspended above, celebrating learning and talent.

In Traces of Time, artist Nguyen Duc Hung creates a space for quiet reflection.

Ancient turquoise tones and traditional motifs evoke the deep historical layers of the Temple of Literature as the National University, affirming that cultural and moral values endure beyond time.

The sculpture Teacher and Discipline, by sculptor Nguyen Truong Giang, draws inspiration from Chu Van An (1292-1370), the first professor of the Imperial Academy.

The work symbolizes the transmission of knowledge and moral cultivation in Vietnamese education. The teacher appears as an absence rather than a solid form, expressing selflessness and teaching beyond words.

From this void, light flows toward the students, embodying the inheritance and transformation of learning across generations.

The sculpture adopts a restrained, monument-like form that enters a quiet dialogue with the architectural and spiritual space of the Temple of Literature.

Illuminated ancient Chinese characters emerge on metallic surfaces, creating a visual field where traditional ethics meet contemporary artistic language.

The installation invites visitors to walk through the teacher’s absence as if entering a learning space, delivering its central message: “The teacher leaves no image behind, only light in the hearts of disciples.”

Young sculptor Ho Sy Tien’s Khue Van Dance extends the dialogue from the traditional Khue Van star into the age of artificial intelligence, affirming that the light of learning, character, and responsibility transcends eras and tools.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Dance, by painter Ha Pham, draws from the image of the phoenix palanquin in imperial festivals. Stylized into bold structural forms with folk-inspired motifs, the palanquin appears suspended and animated by light and rhythm.

Using mixed materials such as lacquered and gilded wood, the structure glows from within and radiates across the space. Visitors can step beneath and into the palanquin, looking upward to experience an intimate encounter with its luminous ceremonial presence.

Ball Wrestling, by painter Vu Le Tung, reinterprets the Thuy Linh ball-wrestling festival, a Ly Dynasty heritage, through contemporary visual language. The work revives the martial spirit, communal strength, and cultural vitality of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The exhibition remains open to the public until March 22, 2026.