On one of our passes through Hanoi we visited the peaceful Temple of Literature. It was originally built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius. It served as Vietnam's first national university until that institution was moved to Hue in the late 18th Century.
This is the main gate. The bronze bell in the tower was rung by the monks when an important person entered the complex.
Once inside the gate, you walk through a series of courtyards to the great halls where the treasures of the temple are displayed.
These 82 stone columns list the names and birthplaces of the 1307 graduates of 82 royal exams. The turtles at the bottom of each column are symbols of longevity and wisdom. People used to rub the heads of the stone turtles for luck, but now there is a fence to prevent that from happening.
In this pavilion, people can honor Confucius and students can pray for good grades.
On our last night in Hanoi, we shared a final dinner together. Fun dressed in a traditional Vietnamese tunic for the occasion. We talked about our favorite parts of the journey and laughed together over drinks. It was sad to say goodbye.
I was asked recently if I would visit Southeast Asia again, and the first thought that popped into my head was that I would do it all again just to sip one of those incredible iced coffee drinks I enjoyed so much. There is, of course, more to it than that. With the exception of the terrifying traffic, visiting Southeast Asia was a fantastic experience. I had worried that the local people would have bad feelings towards Americans because of the Vietnam War, but the people we met always seemed genuinely happy to meet us.
I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to visit Cambodia and Vietnam with such an amazing and entertaining group of people.