Ancient Exam Site Recreated in Son Tay, Connecting Youth with Heritage

An ancient examination site has been recreated at the Son Tay Temple of Literature in Hanoi, Vietnam, accompanied by traditional cultural experience programs. This initiative aims to foster a closer connection between young people and Vietnam's heritage of scholarly pursuit, developing it as an educational tourism resource. The "examination site" space, established by the Son Tay City Service Center, is expected to become a tourism product that conveys the passion for learning and traditions of the region historically known as "Xứ Đoài." Through direct experience, stories about history, traditional education, and local culture become more accessible to the younger generation, potentially leading to the development of academic tourism at the historical site. Students visiting can learn about the traditional cultural space of the Son Tay region. The experience begins with a ritual of offering incense to ancestors, helping them to better understand the tradition of scholarly pursuit and respect for teachers passed down through generations. The highlight of the program is the recreated ancient examination site. Images, rituals, and activities associated with traditional education have been restored, providing students with opportunities to directly observe, learn, and participate. Instead of receiving historical knowledge solely from textbooks, students gain a clearer imagination of the examination site and the study life of their forefathers. Master Artisan and Painter Nguyen Tan Phat notes the importance of leveraging cultural heritage values to create rich experiential products in the current tourism development direction. Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2026, by the Politburo designates the development of Vietnamese tourism into a key economic sector in the new era. In line with this requirement, integrating heritage into experiential activities is a way to both preserve traditional values and inject new vitality into historical sites. In addition to the recreated examination site, students can also experience traditional crafts, enjoy folk arts, and participate in traditional games. Each activity introduces a slice of Son Tay culture, helping students develop a more visual understanding of their homeland's cultural life. Mr. Nguyen Dang Thao, Director of the Son Tay City Service Center, stated that the organization of experience programs at the Son Tay Temple of Literature aims to bring heritage closer to students and tourists. This allows the site to become a place for traditional education and opens avenues for developing tourism products linked with local cultural values. Recreating the ancient examination site, combined with experiences in traditional crafts, folk arts, and games, is a way of retelling the story of heritage in a language accessible to the younger generation. When history is received through direct activities, the Son Tay Temple of Literature gains more conditions to become a traditional educational space, while also opening up pathways for developing academic tourism products associated with the locality's cultural values. The program runs until the end of September 2026.