VAN LAKE

One of the distinctive features of traditional Vietnamese architecture is the harmonious relationship between trees, water, and buildings. Communal houses, shrines, and pagodas were often built as low-rise structures nestled beneath the shade of ancient trees, with lakes or ponds situated in front of their gates. Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam also embodies this characteristic architectural style. In front of the main entrance lies a large lake known as Van Lake, while the surrounding grounds are shaded by long-standing gardens called Giam Garden.

Van Lake covers an area of 12,297 square meters. At the center of the lake is Kim Chau Islet, where Phan Thuy Hall once stood as a gathering place for poetry and literary discussions among Confucian scholars of the imperial capital. Although the hall no longer exists, a stone stele erected in the 18th year of Emperor Tu Duc's reign (1865) remains on the islet. The stele was rediscovered during the restoration of Van Mieu and the dredging of Van Lake. Its inscription, composed by Royal Scholar Le Huu Thanh, laureate of the 1851 royal examination, records the construction of the Doctoral Stelae Pavilion, the renovation and dredging of Van Lake, and the establishment in 1865 of a pavilion on Kim Chau Islet by Dang Su Quan, named Van Ho Pavilion.

The lake and the strip of land extending along the western side of Van Mieu originally belonged to the Van Mieu complex. However, at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, administrative boundary changes caused Van Lake to be excluded when the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam grounds were transferred to Hanoi Province. In 1939, Confucian scholars of Hanoi petitioned the Mayor of Hanoi and the French Resident Superior to return Van Lake to the Van Mieu precinct. In 1940, the Governor of Tonkin approved the Hanoi City Council's decision to officially restore the lake to Van Mieu. This event was commemorated in the stele inscription entitled Hoan Van Ho Bi ("Stele of the Restoration of Van Lake"), composed in 1942 and rediscovered during the dredging and restoration of the lake on February 12, 1998.

In 2017, the Hanoi People's Committee approved the restoration of Phuong Dinh Pavilion on Kim Chau Islet in Van Lake. The pavilion was completed in 2022, bringing a renewed appearance to the lake area.

Phuong Dinh Pavilion is the principal and only architectural structure on the islet. Located at the center of Kim Chau Islet along the sacred axis of the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam complex, it faces the same direction as the main buildings of the site. The pavilion features a two-tiered, eight-roof design elevated on a raised platform. Its wooden framework consists of sixteen timber columns arranged in both principal and secondary rows.

Two ancient banyan trees, regarded as among the most valuable natural features of the islet and closely associated with the formation and history of Kim Chau Islet, have been carefully preserved. Two stone stelae formerly located on the islet were relocated to a landscaped garden south of Kim Chau Islet.

The stone bridge leading to the islet is situated on the northwestern side and consists of five large spans supported by four rows of pillars. The bridge is decorated with carvings inspired by traditional Vietnamese folk motifs. In addition, the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam has carried out extensive landscape restoration works, including the renovation of gardens, lake embankments, stone railings around Kim Chau Islet, pathways, and the surrounding scenery of Van Lake.

Today, Van Lake serves as a vibrant cultural venue hosting a variety of activities such as the Spring Calligraphy Festival, summer educational programs for children, book fairs, water puppet performances, folk games, cultural experiences, and culinary events. These diverse activities continue to attract numerous visitors to Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam.