📍 Located in: Thăng Long (modern-day Hanoi)
🏛️ Status: First and Official National University of Đại Việt
📆 Established: 1076 CE by Emperor Lý Nhân Tông
🧠 Key Facts:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Name Meaning | “Quốc Tử Giám” = “School for the Sons of the Nation” |
| Purpose | Educate nobles, royalty, and later commoners who passed exams |
| Curriculum | Confucian classics, poetry, history, ethics, governance |
| System Used | Chinese-style imperial examination system |
| Social Function | Produced mandarins (scholarly officials) to serve the government |
| Spiritual Aspect | Strong Confucian, Buddhist, and sometimes Taoist influence |
| Legacy | Regarded as Vietnam’s most prestigious historical academic institution |
🏯 Architectural & Cultural Heritage:
- Built within the Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu) grounds.
- The site includes stone turtles with stelae bearing the names of doctorate graduates from national exams (Tiến sĩ).
- It’s still preserved today as a national symbol of learning and scholarship in Vietnam.