Experience the Vietnam old citadel in Hue City tour
In the article “Hue food tour review
for first-time travelers” https://www.hellovietnam.com/ have reviewed some must-try dishes in Hue. In this
article, I will review my Hue city tour, where to go and what to
explore in this ancient citadel.
When I first set my foot on the city,
I spent the whole morning to experience a day tour around Hue to learn about
the unique culture in this old city.
Similar to many Asian countries,
Vietnam used to be ruled by many imperial dynasties. The Nguyen Dynasty
dominated Vietnam for more than 100 years from 1802 to 1945. The Emperor Gia
Long was the one who founded Nguyen Dynasty and he chose Hue to be the citadel.
If you have a taste for history and
culture, a Hue city tour will bring you a great chance to explore this
culturally rich city.
1.KinhThanh Hue(Imperial Citadel)
Hue Imperial Citadel started to be
constructed in 1805 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long and was finished in
1832 under the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. The Citadel is a huge complex
covering an area of 520ha and including three layers of ramparts: Hue Capital
Citadel, Royal Citadel and Forbidden Citadel.
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| Ancient Hue Imperial Citadel |
KinhThanh Hue used to be a massive
architecture, unfortunately, a part of the temples, buildings, pavilions, walls,
and gates were destroyed during the fight with the French in 1947. Then, the
rest of Hue Imperial Citadel was damaged in the American – Vietnam War in 1968.
Though KinhThanh Hue nowadays is not what it once was in the last century, it
is still one of the must-visit Hue tourist attractions in my Hue city
tour.
2. Some imperial tombs
Hue used to be the imperial capital
for more than a century; therefore, many Emperors have tombs dedicated to them.
You can make a full day visiting these tombs if you love to learn about
Vietnamese architecture during the 19th and 20th
century.
There are 13 emperors
during the Nguyen Dynasty; however, only seven imperial tombs were constructed
because of economical problems and political uncertainty. Since I did not
have enough time to visit all seven imperial tombs, I decided to come to TuDuc
Tomb and KhaiDinh Tomb according to my tour guide’s suggestions. They impressed
me strongly with their traditional Vietnamese architecture and designs.
TuDuc tomb
Located on a narrow
plateau in Duong XuanThuong Village, TuDuc Tomb is regarded as a fascinating
tomb in Hue. The whole area looks like a large park with a peaceful lake and
pine forests. Near the tomb is an ancient theater named Minh Khiem where the
Emperor came to enjoy performances. Minh Khiem Theater is considered as one of
the oldest in Vietnam that is still well-preserved.
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| The tomb of the Emperor TuDuc has peaceful beauty |
KhaiDinh Tomb
Situated 10km from the city center,
KhaiDinh Tomb impressed me with unique architecture that is a mix of Eastern
and Western style. The tomb was built in 10 years from 1920 to 1930.
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| Inside KhaiDinh Tomb |
3. Thien Mu Pagoda
After leaving KhaiDinh Tomb, I came
back to the city center and made a stop at Thien Mu Pagoda which was the most
beautiful and oldest pagoda in this imperial city.
Standing on Perfume River dock while
looking at Thien Mu Pagoda, I caught a sight of PhuocDuyen tower. It is the seven-story
octagonal tower which was located in front of the entrance gate of the pagoda.
PhuocDuyen tower was constructed under the reign of the Emperor Thieu Tri in
1844. Inside each of the seven stories is a Buddha statue.
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| PhuocDuyen – the seven-story tower in Thien Mu Pagoda |
I went for a walk around the ground of
Thien Mu pagoda while enjoying the quietness and the fresh air.This pagoda is
definitely a place for people looking for the peace of their mind and an ideal
destination for your culture tour in Hue.
Here is my brief review on my Hue city
tour. I hope that it may help you have a wonderful trip in this old city. Visit our website for more informations about Hue city tour https://www.hellovietnam.com/
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