Former Kingdom

Hue is one of the city of country still has kept almost intact. No city in country has a lot of relics like Hue which original architectural complex dedicated to the 13 Nguyen Kings includes of royal palaces, temples, citadels, pagodas and mausoleums. Its position lies along Perfume River. Besides, Hue is a place where the royal music is originated, and a place with traditional famous dishes and sophisticated handicraft. Hue Imperial City is the first, the Imperial City started building in 1805 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long and then under the reign of Emperor Minh Mang was completed in 1832. Location in the northern of the Perfume River. Still remaining its form of City under Middle Age and the constructions of monarchic, an invaluable museum of Vietnam, this is Imperial City - the last remaining section of 19th-century Hue and it is now a modern experiment in recreating traditional Vietnam. Therefore on December 1993 Hue has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Imperial City divided 3 parts: the Royal Citadel, the Imperial Enclosure and the Forbidden Purple City. The Royal Citadel: Surround and covering City, Its has ten entrances: Nha Do Gate, Sap Gate, Ngan Gate, Thuong Tu Gate, Dong Ba Gate, Ke Trai Gate, Hau Gate , An Hoa Gate, Chanh Tay Gate, Huu Gate. Imperial Enclosure (Hoang Thanh): The second rampart with a perimeter of 2,450m.which place Emperor and Royal family's accommodation and a place to hold a court also. With 4 gates: the south is Ngo Mon Gate, the north is Hoa Binh Gate (Peace Gate), the east is Hien Nhon Gate (Humanity), Chuong Duc Gate to the west (Virtue). The Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh): Located inside the three high ramparts and deep moats, is a large cluster of smaller structures built along a main axis that runs form south to north. The first structure is Ky Dai (Flag Tower). It is followed by Ngo Mon Gate, Dai Trieu Nghi Yard, Thai Hoa Palace, Can Chanh Palace, Khon Thai Palace, Kien Trung Palace, Hoa Binh Gate. Perfume River is beautiful sight from its source, and winds among mountains, forest trees, plants, etc. bringing with it fragrances of tropical flora. The river runs slowly through the verdant and shady villages of Kim Long, Nguyen Bieu, Vy Da, Dong Ba, Gia Hoi, Dinh market, Nam Pho, Bao Vinh, mingling with the odours of flowers of Hue... The river with the shimmer blue limpid colour is like a pearl in the sun. Hue boats rowing up and down with remote, meditative and deep folk melodies at deep night. It is an eternal pleasure for many generations of tourists who go boating to behold the poetic landscape, to listen to the folk melodies of Hue in tranquil nights. The views on both sides of the river with the citadel, town, gardens, pagodas, towers and temples, etc. and their reflections in the waters make the already loveable river even more poetic and musical. Many people think that Hue city has peaceful, gentle and tranquil landscapes mostly thanks to the Perfume river. This river brings to the city a meditative poetic characteristics and the harmonious limpidity exhaling from a land of age-old culture. Thien Mu pagoda lies on Ha Khe hill, on the left bank of the Perfume River, about 5km to the south-west of Hue city. It was built in 1601 under the reign Nguyen Hoang Emperor who the first Emperor of South Viet Nam. Among pagodas in Hue, Thien Mu pagoda is oldest and one of the most beautiful and ancient architectural structures of worship in Hue. Royal tomb with totally eight tombs in Hue that are the final remain of Nguyen Kings. Each tomb involves two complexes. The first is kept for funeral services and the second one is exclusively for the tomb.
-Gia Long's tomb (Thien Tho Lang): Started in 1814 and completed in 1820, about 16 km from central Hue, on top of Thien Tho Mountain. The tomb construct like monumental but simple design. Lotus pond is in front anh the large terraced yard is behind. From bank of Huong River to the Tomb of Gia Long distance 2km and we can reach to there by boat, stop at Kim Ngoc Wharf then walk about 2km.It opens from 6h30AM to 6.00PM and 7 AM to PM in winter. Minh Mang's Tomb (Hieu Lang): Thieu Tri Emperor built Minh Mang mausoleum to dedicate Minh Mang Emperor who is his father. Began in 1840 and finished in 1843, located in a Cam khe Hill. It is accessible to cross the river by boat. The tomb is also accessible by car (by the way to Thien Mu Pagoda). Tu Duc's Tomb: Situated on Duong Xuan Mountain, about 8 km from central Hue. Tu Duc's Tomb was built by himself (Tu Duc Emperor) began in 1864 and was completed in 1867. It is the most beautiful of Royal tomb. Khai Dinh's Tomb: Emperor Khai Dinh (1885-1925) ruled Vietnam for 9 years. His tomb took 11 years to complete. Construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1931. Under Khai Dinh, Western culture and influence began to seep into Vietnam. The king himself visited France in 1922. As a result, his tomb has many elements of Western architecture. In fact, of all the tombs, Khai Dinh's probably least resembles oriental architecture.