VIETNAM: The Imperial City of Hue

Hue, located in central Vietnam on the banks of the Huong River, was the capital of Vietnam between 1802 and 1945. It is one of the most important historical cities in Vietnam.

The Imperial City was ruled by 10 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty before its last ruler abdicated the throne in 1945 in favour of Ho Chi Minh’s communist government in Hanoi. 

The Imperial City was modelled after Beijing's Forbidden City.    

Despite violent wars throughout the years a small portion of the original buildings have managed to survive. 

UNESCO listed them as World Cultural Heritage sites in 1993.

 

The Imperial City is a citadel-within-a-citadel and houses the Forbidden Purple City, temples, palaces, monuments, tombs and the main buildings of the state.

The citadel is surrounded by a wall 6 meters high and 2.5 km long.

Located just inside the Citadel ramparts, near the gates of the Flag Tower are the Nine Holy Cannons from 1804. These five cannons represent the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

The Ngo Mon Gate (Meridian Gate) of the Imperial City was exclusively used by the royal family and their eunuch servants. Built in 1833, it was modelled after the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing. 

 The former Emperors appeared here on important occasions.

 

Beyond the walls, what’s left of the city is only a fraction of the original city because it was badly bombed during the French and American Wars. (What we call the Vietnam War is known locally as the “American War”.)

Sadly, only 20 of its 148 buildings survived.

The To Mieu Temple, one of the most well-preserved structures in the complex, was constructed by Emperor Minh Mang in 1821 commemorating former emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty.

There are 9 dynastic urns cast between 1835 and 1836. Each urn is about 2m in height and weighs between 1900kg and 2600kg. Each is dedicated to one Nguyen sovereign. The urns were meant to symbolize the power and stability of the Nguyen throne.

The central urn, the largest and most ornate, is dedicated to dynasty founder Gia Long.

 Kien Trung Palace was built in 1921 and completed in 1923. This once served as the living and working space of the two emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. In 1947, Kien Trung Palace was almost completely destroyed by war bombs and bullets. The restoration was completed in 2023.

This palace is a combination of Asian and European architecture. 

The Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theatre was built in 1826 for members of the royal family. It is the oldest working theatre in Vietnam. 

It has been home to the National Conservatory of Music and was rebuilt on its former foundations. It is still operating and has performances of traditional Vietnamese dance and music.

The impressive Purple Forbidden City was in the very centre of the Imperial Enclosure. This was a citadel-within-a-citadel-within-a-citadel and was reserved solely for the personal use of the emperor. The only servants allowed into this compound were eunuchs, who would pose no threat to the royal concubines. Now, sadly, there's basically nothing left of the Purple Forbidden City as it was almost entirely destroyed in the wars.

But the cycle of life goes on. Flowing through Hue, outside the walls to the Imperial City, is the Song Huong River. It is approximately 80 km long, from Truong Son Mountain through Hue City Center and Bang Lang Fork.

In English, it is known as the Perfume River. 

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Its name comes from its floral aroma of blooming flowers that fall into the water in autumn from orchards upriver, bringing new life to the shores of the Imperial City.