A certificate awarding ceremony was held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Monday night to recognize the 82 stone stelae in the historic Temple of Literature as World Documentary Heritage.
These steles carve personal information of over 2,000 doctoral laureates who passed the royal examinations between 1442 and 1779 under the early Le, Mac and restored Le dynasties.
The temple was built in 1070 as a Confucian temple and was being served as Vietnam's first university, educating royalty, mandarins and other members of the elite. The steles are considered a statement of Vietnam's evaluation on education.
The 82 stone steles were recognized as World Documentary Heritage in Asia-Pacific 2010 and World Documentary Heritage globally in 2011.
