SO THAT CHILDREN’S FIELD TRIPS TRULY MATTER
Despite the scorching weather, summer is a precious time for children to rest and play after a long and challenging school year. That’s why many families still choose summer as the perfect season for fun and enriching trips for their children. Among the popular options are the Heritage Education programs combined with guided tours at the Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám, offering a meaningful and rewarding journey for children during their vibrant summer days.
Children may quickly become tired or disengaged when visiting historical sites and large outdoor heritage spaces—especially in the heat—if they are not encouraged to read, explore, or actively engage with the site. This often results in a superficial experience, where children look around briefly and wish to leave early. While transportation, meals, and admission are not always high, they still represent a significant investment of effort and money from parents and children. When the experience lacks depth, that investment can feel wasted.
Recognizing this challenge, and with a desire to preserve, promote, and pass on heritage values to younger generations, the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities of Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám has developed a range of Heritage Education programs. These aim to transform a simple sightseeing trip into an engaging, joyful learning experience, where children can learn through play, and play through learning, without feeling fatigued.
The Heritage Education programs at Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám aim for more than just keeping children engaged at the site longer; they pursue a greater goal: planting seeds of passion for history and awakening curiosity about national culture. Learning ceases to be a chore when children take on the role of scholars, craft their study books, decode inscriptions on steles, or listen to stories about revered historical figures. It transforms into an exciting journey of discovery.
The topic “Exploring Sacred Creatures” integrates technology to spark children’s interest in heritage discovery.
Making Paper Dó Books Through the Theme “Exploring Ancient Study Books”
Each program is carefully designed with age-appropriate, scientific content that combines academic knowledge with hands-on experiences. From preschoolers who hold a brush for the first time to write on Dó paper, to elementary and secondary students exploring the role of Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám in the nation’s educational history, every child can discover something new and meaningful for themselves.
It is encouraging that children are enthusiastic, and parents and teachers strongly support this experiential education approach. Many parents have shared, “We never expected our child to remember the names of areas within the Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám complex, let alone recite the names of the top scholars!” Such feedback is an excellent source of motivation for the program team to continue innovating and improving content and methods.
Every Visit Is More Than a Tour – It’s a Step Toward Nurturing Minds and Hearts
In today’s digital age, when children spend increasing time in front of screens and have less exposure to traditional values, “learning through play” visits to heritage sites become even more precious. The Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities hopes that each summer, more and more children will have the chance to experience, explore, and naturally develop a deep love for our national cultural heritage.
Heritage Education Program Overview
Heritage Education is designed for students from preschool to high school, offering nearly 30 diverse themes such as: Ancient Classes; Discovering Sacred Creatures in Ancient Architecture; Exploring Doctoral Steles; Learning about Quốc Tử Giám – the first university; The Regional, National, and Palace Exams; Study Books; and more. These themes are thoughtfully developed to allow students to explore heritage through engaging experiential activities, inspiring their enthusiasm for history and culture.
Through the program, students gain heritage knowledge and develop critical thinking skills (observation, questioning, note-taking, analysis) and practice key competencies such as teamwork, leadership, and presentation skills.
For more information on Heritage Education themes, visit:
http://vanmieu.gov.vn/vi/giao-duc-di-san/
☎ Contact Information:
Monday to Sunday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Phone: (024) 38452917, extension 12
Hotline: 0932 070 109 / 0973 211 901
