From the 11C to the present day, Ba Dinh has been a centre of power. Although this official district has little atmosphere, it boasts an amazing mix of buildings including 11C temples, architecture from the French Third Republic, imposing Soviet-style national monuments, as well as the Temple of Literature which once ran alongside the Royal City to the south. On Sundays, the austere Ba Dinh is particularly lively and animated as crowds of Vietnamese come here to visit their national monuments.