THE ĐẠI THÀNH SANCTUARY (THE GREAT SUCCESS SANCTUARY)

The fourth courtyard is the Đại Thành Sanctuary (The Great Success Sanctuary), the most sacred area of Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám. At its center lies the Đại Bái Courtyard, flanked by two long buildings running along the eastern and western sides. The building at the front is the Bái Đường (Hall of Ceremony), where rites honoring Confucius were traditionally conducted. Behind it stands the Đại Thành Sanctuary (The Great Success Sanctuary), connected to the Bái Đường (Hall of Ceremony) by a small pavilion.

The Bái Đường (Hall of Ceremony) features a stone staircase leading to a brick-paved floor. The structure is divided into nine bays and supported by sturdy ironwood columns. Its roof is covered with traditional curved Vietnamese tiles, and the ridge is decorated with the motif of “Two Dragons Flanking the Sun and Moon.” At both gable ends, on the front and rear façades, are wooden lattice windows. Beneath them are wooden relief panels dating from the Early Lê period, carved with dragon-and-cloud motifs.

Running parallel to the Bái Đường (Hall of Ceremony), the Đại Thành Sanctuary (The Great Success Sanctuary) also consists of nine bays and is enclosed by walls on three sides. The seven central bays are fitted with wooden panel doors, while the two end bays feature fixed wooden lattice windows characteristic of Later Lê architecture. The columns and roof framework are richly lacquered and gilded. Like the Bái Đường (Hall of Ceremony), the roof is covered with traditional curved tiles and crowned with the motif of two dragons flanking the sun and moon.

The Đại Thành Sanctuary (The Great Success Sanctuary) is dedicated to Confucius, the Four Great Disciples (Tứ Phối), and the Ten Distinguished Scholars (Thập Triết). At the center stands the statue of Confucius, facing south, with an ancestral altar and spirit tablet placed behind it.