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HUE
 Prior to WWII, Hue had been the
capital of Vietnam and the residents
of this city act as if Hue still is.
The city has a long and
distinguished history. During the
Tet Offensive in 1968 the North
Vietnamese flag flew from the
citadel flag pole for 25 days. When
the Americans returned to re-take
the city, Hue was virtually
destroyed in over ten days of
terrible conflicts. The film "Full
metal jacket" has much of the major
fighting set in Hue, and accurately
represents just how completely
devastated the city was. It is
estimated that over 10,000 people
were killed during this battle
including thousands of people
rounded up by the North Vietnamese
as ‘undesirables’ and shot or buried
alive. The city has now been mainly
rebuilt and no real signs of the Tet
Offensive remain except for the
virtual destruction of the Imperial
city.
Hue citadel
The
construction of Hue Citadel was
commenced in 1801 by Emperor Gia
Long. This followed a period during
which the Nguyen Lords moved the
capital around the surrounding area.
Since the initial construction, the
citadel has been altered and
improved upon by a number of
Emperors including Emperor Minh
Mang, whose tomb is not far from
modern day Hue city.
Unfortunately, Vietnam’s history of
war has boded ill for the citadel,
and much of the interior,
particularly the Forbidden Purple
City, has been destroyed. It was
during the conflict with the
Americans that some terribly bloody
and vicious fighting took place,
which flattened a lot of the inner
city. However, some parts do still
remain and will give you an idea of
what a magnificent imperial capital
Hue must have been.
The Citadel is almost 10 km in
circumference and its walls are 6 m
high and 20 m thick. The moat
encircles the entire Citadel and is
23 m wide with a depth of 4 m. There
are ten entrances to the citadel,
many of which are now bridges and
roads into the Citadel area (where
people live and farm).
Imperial city
The
Imperial City was constructed in
1804 and is square in shape, with a
perimeter of nearly 2.5 km. It has
four entrances: the Noon Gate that
is opposite the flag tower, the Gate
of Humanity on the left side, the
Gate of Virtue on the right hand
side, and the Gate of Peace at the
rear. The city is surrounded by the
Golden Waters pond that flows into
the lakes at the northern corner of
the city. Each gate has a bridge
spanning the Golden Waters, whilst
the Noon Gate has three bridges. In
imperial times, the centre bridge
was for the use of the Emperor
alone, whilst the other two bridges
were for the use of his entourage.
Once
you enter via the Noon Gate,
separating you from the Great Rites
Court is the Thai Dich Lakes (Great
Liquid Lakes). These were dug in
1883 and are spanned by a central
bridge, the Trung Dao (Central path)
Bridge. The bridge has two ornately
designed gateway, carved with
dragons slithering up and down them.
The
Great Rites Court (also known as the
Esplanade of Great Salutation)
consists of two paved terraces. The
upper was reserved for high ranking
civil and military mandarins, whilst
the lower was for village officials
and elders. The steles on each side
of the court indicate where each
official’s designated place was. At
the two corners of the court stand
two bronze Kylins, which are
believed to bring peace.
Beyond
the Great Rites Court there is the
Throne Palace. This was used on
meetings. During these meetings, the
Emperor would sit on his throne
whilst only four top ranking
officials were allowed in the
palace. The remainder of officials
had to stand outside according to
rank. The palace was seriously
damaged during the Tet Offensive.
Behind
the Throne palace is where the Great
Golden Gate once stood, marking the
entrance to the Forbidden Purple
City.
The
imperial City was not destroyed to
the extent of the Forbidden Purple
City and there are number of temples
still standing, although some are
locked up due to their instability.
These include Trieu Temple, Thai
Temple (a reconstruction), the
Residence of Everlasting Longevity,
Phung Tien Temple, Mieu Temple, and
the Hung Temple
Forbidden City
Unfortunately most of the Forbidden
Purple City was completely destroyed
during the Tet Offensive. Most of
what remains is no more than the
foundations of what must have once
been grand buildings. There are a
number of smaller buildings that
were spared complete destruction,
and there are some attempts at
restoration going on (and so there
should be, given the admission
price).
Before
its destruction, the Forbidden
Purple City was used solely by the
emperor and his family. It was
originally constructed during the
reign of Emperor Gia Long and was
known as Cung Thanh (City of
Residences). It was not until the
reign of Emperor Minh Mang that the
name Forbidden purple City was
adopted.
The City has seven gates linking it
to the Imperial City. From the Great
Golden Gate, you will enter a large
paved area, backed by the
foundations of everything that used
to be there. To your left and right
there are two small buildings that
house many artefacts of the City. In
the left house, you can dress up as
an Emperor and have your photo taken
sitting on a throne (really makes
you wonder sometimes). There are
only a handful of buildings within
the city that have been completely
destroyed.
Thien Mu Pagoda
This
pagoda overlooks the southwest bank
of the Perfume River, around 4km
south of the railway bridge
crossing. This was the home of the
Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc, who
burnt himself to death in protest to
the Ngo Dinh Diem regime. The motor
car that took him to the site of his
self-immolation in Ho Chi Minh City
in 1963 is out back. The pagoda has
been adopted as the symbol of Hue
City and is very popular with both
foreign and local tourists, hence
the trinket sellers and beggars out
front. Behind the pagoda is a lovely
garden and a large glass encased
smiling Buddha. To the left of the
pagoda is a huge bell dating to the
18 century and is said to be audible
10 km away.
The
road to Thien Mu Pagoda runs along
the bank of the Perfume River and is
great for a late afternoon ride as
many boats are returning upriver.
The light is just great so take your
camera. The road also passes by a
Portuguese church and also a mid
sized fresh produce market, which
stocks excellent fruit.
The Imperial Tombs
Hue was the imperial centre of the
Nguyen Dynasty which was founded in
1802 by Emperor Gia Long, and lasted
until 1945. The banks of the Perfume
River around the Imperial City
became the royal graveyard for the
thirteen rulers of this area. The
majority of Vietnamese practice
ancestor worship, regarding death as
a passage into another existence.
They believe the layout of a tomb
affects the soul’s journey to the
spirit world, and the fortunes of
the living relatives are determined
through formal ceremonies to the
dead and protection of the tomb.
Desecration of a tomb would have
detrimental affects upon both the
living ancestors and the souls
chance of reaching the ultimate
resting place in the spirit world.
The tombs of the Emperors were even
more important as their position
would determine the future of the
Dynasty. The Emperors of the Nguyen
Dynasty there fore established their
own Valley of the Dead, which is
believed to be protected in both the
physical and spiritual worlds.
Tomb of Tu Duc
Tu Duc
was the Emperor of Vietnam from 1848
to 1883. He is regarded as one of
the more decadent cruel Vietnamese
Emperors. Although he was a
dedicated Confucian, his lifestyle
was unusual in all areas. At each
mail he would have a choice of fifty
dishes that were delivered by fifty
servants and prepared by fifty
chefs! He had over one hundred wives
and quite a few girlfriends on the
side, although he never had
children. When Tu Duc drank tea, the
water was collected as dew from
lotus leaves. He also had one of his
brothers put to death after his
involvement in a revolt against him.
His tomb was constructed between
1864 and 1867 and is own of the more
grandiose tombs in Hue City’s
surrounds. In an attempt to foil
grave robbers, his body was not even
buried in the tomb, and all those
who were involved in the burial were
beheaded. His body and treasures are
at a destination that remains
unknown.
The
centrepiece of the tomb is a huge
stone tablet that is estimated to
weigh over twenty tonnes upon which
are inscribed various clarifications
of his rule. There are also a number
of temples and other buildings
within the tomb grounds, along with
a nice lake with an island in the
centre. Towards the end of his rule,
Tu Duc spent a lot of time on this
island and generally within his
tomb, accompanied by his entourage.
The tomb of Tu Duc is about 7 km out
of the centre of Hue city.
Tomb of Minh Mang
Minh Mang Emperor ruled from 1820 to
1840 and was responsible for some of
the major
 construction upon the
Imperial City. It was also the
actions of Minh Mang towards the
Catholic missionaries which first
brought French military power to
bear on Vietnam. The ground of his
tomb are large and peaceful, and his
actual bomb oversees the Lake of
Tranquillity. The first entrance is
guarded by a life size stone
entourage of soldiers, horses and
elephants, and opens to a courtyard
containing three temples. Past the
temples, you will cross Trung Minh
Ho (The Lake of Impeccable Clarity)
which is bridged in three places.
The central bridge was for the sole
use of the Emperor whilst the other
two were for his entourage. Beyond
the pond there is Sung An Temple
that Minh Mang dedicated to his
Empress. Following this temple you
need to cross another bridge before
reaching his tomb that is a huge
walled-in dirt mound, which you
cannot enter. To give Minh Mang
peace of mind whilst ruling, all his
servants were eunuchs.
Tomb of Khai Dinh
Khai
Dinh
Emperor
ruled
from 1916 to 1925, and his tomb
majestically appears from the side
of a mountain covered by forest.
 Unfortunately, the tomb lacks the
harmonious blending with nature that
many of the other tombs and
Vietnamese architecture tries to
achieve. This is due to the fact
that the tomb was built earlier this
century during the French colonial
occupation and under their
influence. The weather-stained and
blackened concrete walls make the
tomb seem older than it actually is,
but the different style of Khai
Dinh’s tomb makes it worth a visit.
The
tomb is layered, and each stage is
divided by stairs. The entrance to
the tomb begins with a long climb up
from the street level staircase that
is bound by dragon banisters. This
opens up onto a courtyard, but it is
the second level that has a stone
statued entourage made up of life
size mandarins, horses and
elephants. You must contend with
more stairs to get to the main part
of the tomb and to where Emperor
Khai Dinh is buried. The Khai Dinh
temple is 10 km south of Hue City,
and a sealed road passes straight
past its entrance. The view from the
top is quite beautiful, looking at
the plains and surrounding
mountains. The large white statue
farther south standing on a hillside
is of Quan Am, the Goddess of Mercy. |
