QUOC TU GIAM - VIETNAM'S FIRST UNIVERSITY
Vietnam's first University was founded in 1076 by king Ly Nhan Tong as a school for the crown prince, and expanded the following year to admit sons of the man in aristocracy chosen by the king. It was later opened to a wider spectrum of society through an examination system that provided the theoretical possibility of social mobility based on merit.
Classes were held in two houses along the sides of what is now the fifth courtyard of the Van Mieu. The yard also held six dormitory houses, each a row of 25 rooms, with two students to a room. In addition, there was a print shop for school texts. At the time, the school and temple were closely integrated.
Requirements for admission varied over the centuries. Selection was at first by royal appointment, later by examination. The first students were simply required to know how to write Chinese characters. Later, prospective students were required to have a Cu nhan, or bachelor's degree from one of the provincial schools.
Students of all ages studied together. Although a decree issued in 1185 set the lower age limit at 15, there was no upper limit. The length of the course of study varied, depending on the interval between royal examinations. While examinations were usually given every three years, on occasion they were held as long as seven years apart.
Instruction was based on mastering the four Confucian classical texts on ethics and literature, and the five pre-confucian classics. Students learned to write poetry, commentaries on texts, and other literary forms.
Classes met four times a month for University entrants, and twice a month for more advanced students. Between classes, students would work on writing assignments and submit them to the teacher. During class those compositions marked "excellent" or "good" would be read aloud for other students to use as models.
Modern Vietnamese critics of this form of education object to its focus on memorization, its lack of attention to practical learning, and its neglect of Vietnamese history in favor of foreign (Chinese) history and culture. They speak of its irrelevance, of "sitting on the bridge in Do and talking about the land of Moc."
At the same time, those who put this education to the service of their nation are revered for their dedication and brilliance. A fourteenth-century scholar whose name has come to be taken as the embodiment of integrity and devotion to learning and country is Chu Van An. Rector of the Quoc Tu Giam for 40 years, he is its only teacher honored with an altar at the Van Mieu.
The poem of his that follows gives a sense of the refined style aspired to by the education of the times.
Spring morning
In the hut in the mountains one is free the live-long day
A clump of bamboos leaning o'er screens from cold mountain air
Green grows the grass and the sky reels in joy
Late lingers the dew in the cups of scarlet flowers
The man alone with the lonely cloud clings to the mountain side
His spirit like water in old wells lies still, unshaken by any tremor
As the sweet pine logs sink to ash the pot for tea stops boiling
A murmur of birds from the deeps of the ravine brings him back from the light sleep of Spring.
	
THE ROYAL EXAMINATIONS
Education at the Quoc Tu Giam prepared students for the royal examination, the gateway to becoming a scholar mandarin and serving at the court or in a high position in the provinces. Those who did not pass the exam still held a position as part of the nationals educated class, and often returned to their villages as school masters.
Both the examinations and the honors conferred evolved over the centuries. The following description is of examinations in the 15th century.
The multi-stage examination process could take several months. The first step, called the Thi Huong was a regional examination held triennially.
Those who passed then came to Hanoi with their sleeping mats, brushes, and ink stones to sit for the four-part Thi Hoi. A candidate had to pass each part in sequence in order to qualify to sit for the following part.
The first part, called Kinh Nghia, was based directly on the Confucian classics. Examinees were given four subjects from the four canons, and told to choose one. In addition they had to choose one of three questions based on the five pre-confucian classics. Finally, they were given two questions based on the Spring and Autumn Annals, and told to synthesize them.
For the second part of the examination, the Che Chieu Bieu, a candidate had to write as though he were the king, discussing matters of state.
Candidates who passed the second test were then required to write two different kinds of poems on given topics, in the Tho Phu. The Tho was a poem of 28 words, divided into four lines of seven words, the phu a prose poem of 8 seven - word lines.
The final part of the doctoral exam was the Van Sach, in which candidates were asked to comment on how to handle problems facing the country, drawing from their knowledge of the four classics and the history of previous dynasties.
Those who completed all four were conferred the title of doctor laureate (Tien si), and invited to the palace for the Thi Dinh, or palace examination. During this examination, the king himself posed the question and read the responses of the candidates. He then ranked the tien si into three groups, and conferred special distinction on the three most successful candidates of the highest-ranking group.
The new mandarins were offered a hat and gown, given a banquet at the palace, and sent home to their villages in triumphal procession. There they in turn offered a feast to the village, sometimes to their financial ruin.
From 1076 to 1779, the date of the last royal examination held in Hanoi. 2313 examinees were awarded the title of Tien si or doctor laureate. Today 1306 of their names, beginning with the examination in 1442, are still to be found on the 82 stelae at the Van Mieu.
The number of examinees awarded the Tien si degree in any one year ranged from 3 to 61. Ages of the laureates ranged from 16 to 61.
The examinations may have been held on the site of what is now the national library, as suggested by some historians and by the street name, Trang Thi, or Examination Street. With from 450 to 6000 candidates, the area had to have been a large one.
The scholars differed greatly in their contributions to their country. Some were more virtuous than others; some were nothing more than bureaucrats. Yet many were brilliant: mathematicians and philosophers, statesmen and finance ministers, officials renowned for fighting corruption and abuse of privilege.
Literature and public service were not distinct realms. Poets also contributed to the economic life of their times by bringing high-yielding maize from China, by improving techniques for silk weaving and reed mat weaving, and by developing the system of irrigation canals. Many of the most brilliant statesmen were also poets.

