HUE CITADEL
Thua Thien Hue – known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCO‘s World Heritage Sites, was founded on the northern bank of Perfume River in the 17th century by Nguyen Dynasty. Nowadays, the city, about 660 kilometers from Hanoi, looks more like a massive open-air museum with hundreds of temples, pagodas, palaces and tombs. Some parts of the city were badly damaged during the war but there are still many notable structures worth a visit.
Places to see:
Royal Citadel
Built in the style of the French military architect, Vauban, the royal Citadel of Hue complex has the characteristic of many strongholds and fortresses. Gia Long Emperor had it constructed in 1804, originally in earth, but additionally covered in brick later in the early 19th century.
Surrounded by a wide zigzag moat, the first layer of the royal Citadel is the defensive wall fort of 10 kilometer long, 7 meters high and 21 meters thick. The fort itself has 10 gates for pedestrians and 2 gates for water routes. Within, it also encompasses two other monarchal areas. The Imperial Enclosure, or Dai Noi, is encircled within a wall of 2.5 km long and 6 m wide. The Forbidden Purple City, within a perimeter of 1.3 km, was the reserved place for the private life of the kings and the royal members only.
Inside the complex, there is also a large cluster of smaller constructions. All of them lie around the main axis of the complex, running from north to south. Beginning with the northernmost Flag Tower, followed by the Ngo Mon (Noon) Gate, which was only reserved as a path only for the royal, and some others that show significant architectural value. Entering the Ngo Mon Gate, one will see the Belvedere of Five Phoenixes, also constructed by Emperor Gia Long in 1823 as a pavilion to list the names of successful scholars in the past. The abdication of the last Emperor Boa Dai in 1945 was announced here as well. Another remarkable building is Thai Hoa Palace or the Palace of Supreme Harmony, built 1833, and used as the reception hall and the throne room of the emperor.
Thien Mu Pagoda
Thien Mu Pagoda (also called Linh M?) is a historic pagoda in the historic city of Hu? in Vietnam. Its stupa has seven storeys and is the tallest in Vietnam. The temple is often the subject of folk rhymes and ca dao about Hue, such is its iconic status and association with the city. It is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital.
The pagoda is situated on the left bank of the Perfume River is the age-old elegant Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the most beautiful architectural structures in Vietnam. With the outstanding octagonal seven-story tower, it was constructed under the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri in 1844. The king had the pagoda built after having heard that Thien Mu, a Fairy Women, appeared to the people and prophesied that a lord would come to build a pagoda for the kingdom’s prosperity. After that some other small constructions were erected within the compound. For example, there is a six-sided pavilion that shelters an enormous bell of 2052 kg called Dai Hong Chung, which was cast in 1710. In addition the pagoda was the site of the anti-government demonstrators in the early 60s. A shrine and an Austin car behind the pagoda are worth taking a look. The story is the monk Thich Quang Duc, who resided at the shrine, drove the car from the temple to Saigon in 1963 to commit the self-immolation in protest of the government.
Trang Tien Bridge
The bridge Trang Tien in the south east of the Capital commenced to be built in the 9th year of King Thanh Thai (1897) and then finished in 1899. The bridge is about 400m long with 6 spans”. The colossal metal structure of the Trang Tien Bridge was affected by a terrible typhoon in August 1904, which devastated the Center of Vietnam, and left 6 spans of the bridge broken. Only two spans of the bridge could sustain the onslaught of the catastrophic typhoon.
The bridge was reconstructed in 1906. Since then the Trang Tien Bridge has been repaired so many times again. Once there used to be a small market at the Trang Tien wharf near the bridge right gate named Dong Ba. Today Dong Ba is the trading center of Hue city.
Emperor Tomb of King Minh Mang
Minh M?ng (also known as Nguy?n Phúc Ki?u) was the second emperor of the Nguy?n Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 14 February 1820 until 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Canh, had died in 1801. He was well known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam and his rigid Confucian orthodoxy. As Gia Long aged, he took on a more isolationist foreign policy, and as a result favored Minh Mang especially for his outlook.
Minh Mang was a classicist who was regarded as one of Vietnam’s most scholarly monarchs. He was known as a poet and was regarded as an emperor who cared sincerely about his country and paid great attention to its rule, to the extent of micromanaging certain policies. He pursued a sceptical policy to Christian missionaries, often trying to inhibit their activities by administrative means, and later by explicitly banning proselytisation. His crackdowns lead to negative European sentiment towards Vietnam and fomented discontent among Catholics at home and abroad which further antagonised Western attitude towards Vietnam.
As a result of his Confucian conservatism, Minh Mang allowed little innovation in Vietnamese society, and in time its military in particular became antiquated. He restricted trade and exchange with Western powers. At home he strengthened the central administration and had to contend with several rebellions, many of them Catholic-inspired. The most serious came in 1833 when southern Vietnam revolted, leading to a civil war lasting a year. This was further deepened by an invasion into the same area by Siamese forces who had attempted to retake Cambodia from Vietnam. After a long struggle, his forces managed to put down both enemies and regain control.
Emperor King of of King Tu Duc
Tu Duc Tomb is one of the most beautiful works of royal architecture of the Nguyen dynasty. Lying in a sprawling lush pine forest, 8 km from Hue, this tomb is the final resting place of Emperor Tu Duc (1848-83) who enjoyed the longest reign of any monarch of the Nguyen dynasty. The construction of the tomb started in December 1864 and was completed in 1867.
Though the Emperor had over a hundred wives and concubines, he did not have an heir (possibly, he became sterile after contracting smallpox). In the absence of a son, it fell to him to write his own epitaph on the deeds of his reign, which he considered to be a bad omen. However, the epitaph can still be found inscribed on the stele in the pavilion just to the east of the Emperor’s tomb. The stele for Tu Duc Tomb was brought here from a quarry over 500 kilometers away, taking fours years to complete the trip and is the largest of its type in Vietnam.
Tu Duc had begun planning for his tomb long before he died in 1883. In fact, the major portions of the tomb complex were completed from 1864-67, along with future temple buildings that served as a palatial retreat for Tu Duc and his many wives during his lifetime. To complete the elaborate construction of his tomb, the emperor demanded so much corvee labor and levied such extra taxation that there was an abortive coup against Tu Duc in 1866. However, Tu Duc was able to suppress the coup, with the help of his generals and he continued to use the tomb’s palace buildings as his place of residence for the remainder of his life.
Emperor Tomb of King Khai Dinh
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.
Emperor Khai Dinh’s tomb is built using concrete, its roof with slates and the gate is made of wrought iron. The builder made use of the lighting rod and electricity is used to light the place. Beyond these modern building materials and designs, the tomb had elements of eastern art mixed with western designs.
Throughout the interior of the tomb, colored glass and ceramic chips were used to form mosaics of oriental design. The ceilings were hand painted much like the ceilings of western churches, but the designs were of dragons and clouds. In the book, ‘Art Vietnamien’, Emperor Khai Dinh’s tomb was cited as an example of Vietnamese “neo-classicism”.
Hon Chen Temple
Standing just on the bank of the Huong river inclined to poetic dreams and 10km upstream of Hue, the Hon Chen temple for cult of Po Nagar, the Goddess of the ancient Cham minority. After then, the Vietnamese continued the cult and name the Goddess as Heaven Goddess Y A Na.
This temple for Goddess appeared in this place centuries ago, but with a very simple design, and after then, reconstructed with a larger and more beautiful architectural scale in 1886.
The Hon Chen temple is situated at a lovely site seated on the slope of the mountain Ngoc Tran with sheer cliff and mirroring in the deep blue water of the Huong river.
Bach Ma National Park
Bach Ma National Park is located in central Vietnam in the province of Thua Thien Hue, around 700 km south of the country’s capital Hanoi and 1000 km north of Ho-Chi-Minh-City (Saigon). The national park covers an area of about 22,000 ha in the districts of Phu Loc and Nam Dong. It was created in 1991 to protect the centre of the last corridor of forest stretching from the South China Sea to the Annamite mountain range at the border with the Lao PDR. With steep mountains and dense forests this area is home to a wide variety of animals and plants. At the base of the mountains there is tropical monsoon forest, above 900 m sub-tropical forest. There are species from both northern and southern Vietnam, and Bach Ma is recognized as one of the areas of Indochina with high biodiversity. Bach Ma mountain peak is the highest point in the park at 1450 m above sea level and is only 18 km away from the coast.
The temperature never goes below 4°C in the winter and the hottest summer temperature does not exceed 26°C. Bach Ma National Park has a lot to offer, as much in terms of sites to visit as landscapes to admire. From the top of Hai Vong Dai, the highest peak at 1,450 m, one can admire a fantastic view. The Grand Do Quyen Waterfall, over 300 m high and 25 m wide, is also impressive.
Rich vegetation and animal-life also attract many visitors. The park is home to 233 species of birds and 55 species of mammals, as well as extensive flora of more than 500 species. Extensive scientific research is also carried out here.
Thuan An Beach
Thuan An beach is situated near by Thuan An mouth, where Huong river runs to Tam Giang lagoon and then to the sea…. Thuan An is a very enjoyable place for all tourists after a full day to visit Citadel, mausoleums, pagodas and Hue scenery… Thuan An is also the place where Hue people gather to enjoy the fresh air and sea-bathing in summer time.
Intensive activities of the beach lasts from April to September, while Hue temperature being fairly hot. Besides sea bathing, tourists are able to visit Thai Duong temple where Thai Duong Goddess is very esteemed by villagers or visit the temple devoted to the whale, the sacred animal of the local people.
Lang Co Beach
Lang Co Beach lies on the most beautiful curve of the “S”, where you can be the first to see the sun rise in Vietnam. Lang Co Beach is 10 km long with white sand and clean and shallow water. The in-season is from April to the end of July, with an average temperature of 25oC and 158 sunny hours per month.
Located on the northern part of Hai Van Pass on National Highway No.1A, about 80km south of the imperial city of Hue, Lang Co Peninsula looks even more mythical and beautiful amid the blue sea and white sand. Visitors can see many local wonders and landscapes such as Chan May, Mo and Hoi Cam streams. Tourists can enjoy sea diving, mountain climbing, and fishing with local fishermen. From Lang Co, visitors can easily reach other beautiful beaches on Son Tra Peninsula or take a boat to Ngoc Island, where they can participate in several aquatic activities.
Vietnam destinations
Hanoi – Ninh Binh – Hai Phong – Ha Long Bay – Hoa Binh – Sapa
Phong Nha – Ke Bang – Hue – Danang – Hoi An – Nha Trang -Mui Ne