Huong, the provincial-level imperial examination held at a Ha Nam exam school in 1897. From 1894 to 1915, after the French authorities shut down the Hanoi exam school, candidates from Hanoi and Nam Dinh took their tests together at this site, which was then called the Ha Nam exam school, according to the National Archives Center I.
The scene is depicted in the book "Luoc Khao Ve Khoa Cu Viet Nam: Tu Khoi Thuy Den Khoa Mau Ngo 1918" (A Brief Study Of Vietnamese Examinations: From The Origins To The Mau Ngo Exam 1918), compiled by scholar Tran Van Giap (1898-1973) with annotations by Nguyen Phuc An.
The Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House has released the book to mark the new school year that has just got under way. The series of photos was collected and preserved by the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO, French School of Asian Studies).
A watchtower in the Huong exam grounds. According to the book, the most common exam at the time was the Huong. Candidates from one or several provinces competed for the top ranks, with the best advancing to the capital to face candidates from other regions. Those who passed the Huong exam were called Cong Tu or Cu Nhan (bachelor).
The Xuong Danh (Naming) ceremony was held to announce the names of exam candidates who passed.
In the book, the author goes into detail about the atmosphere of the Huong exam grounds, how events were organized and the rules and arrangements for the public.
He wrote: “In the past people who wanted to climb up the ranks in society had to commit to their studies to enter the examination system and reach official positions.
“For the country, the exams were a way to select talented people; for scholars, they were a path to honor and success.”
After passing the Huong exam, Tran Si Trac, a Confucian doctoral laureate, was appointed governor of Phu Thang Binh, now known as Thang Binh District in Quang Nam Province. He later served as an examiner at the Ha Nam exam school.
During his tenure, he became known for his strictness. In major imperial exams with thousands of candidates, Tran Si Trac expelled hundreds for cheating, such as copying from others or smuggling cheat sheets into the exam hall, according to historians.
Governor Cao Xuan Duc at the 1897 exam. After passing the Huong exam in 1876, he held various positions under the Nguyen Dynasty kings. Known for his efforts to collect and preserve ancient books, he hired people to copy rare texts and built the Long Cuong Museum Library, one of the largest libraries in the former Nghe Tinh Province, now split into Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
New successful exam candidates carried under parasols in a procession through the streets of Nam Dinh, Vietnam.
The cover of "Luoc Khao Ve Khoa Cu Viet Nam" (A Brief Study Of Vietnamese Examinations). Scholar Tran Van Giap also wrote other works on literature, history and linguistics, including "Luoc Truyen Cac Tac Gia Viet Nam" (Biographical Notes On Vietnamese Authors), "Phong Tho Ha Bac Thoi Le" (Customs of Ha Bac During the Le Dynasty) and "Tim Hieu Kho Sach Han Nom" (Exploring the Han Nom Text Collection).
