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The charming beauty of Hue City - An ancient capital in Vietnam

Since the 16th century, Thuan Hoa, due to its strategic location, has been a very prosperous area. The Nguyen Lord chose this area to be their headquarters. Nguyen Anh made it Vietnam's capital city in 1802 after he defeated the Tay Son and ascended to the throne with the name Gia Long. King Gia Long (1762-1819) was credited for building and fortifying Hue from the very beginning. Since then, successive king of the Nguyen Dynasty has added to the foundation set by his predecessors.

Nine Dynasty Urns

There are nine greatest bronze urns in Vietnam placed in the shade of the Hien Lam pavilion, in front of the Mieu temple and southwest of the Royal citadel. They were cast by Emperor Minh Mang in 1836. After their casting, the Nine Dynastic Urns were placed in accordance with the altars in Mieu temple, at the position as today. The 17 relieves on each urn comprise what are most typical of the country from the Lang Song province to the Ca Mau cape.
They are concentrated on the following themes: stars, mountains, seas and oceans, vehicles, valuable forestry and sea products of Vietnam early in the 20th century. The nine dynasty urns were cast by Minh Mang to symbolize the dynasty sovereignty. They are a cultural heritage , almost intact and rare in this harsh-weather and war-worn land.

Thien Mu Pagoda

The name of the pagoda takes its source from a legend. It was told that long ago, there appeared an old woman every night on the hill where the pagoda stands today. She told local people that a Lord would come and build a Buddhist pagoda for the country's prosperity. Lord Nguyen Hoang, on hearing that, ordered the construction of a pagoda of the Heavenly Lady.

It was built in 1601, and then Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan had renovated in 1665. In 1710 Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu had a great bell cast (2.5 m high, weighed 3,285 kg) and a stele (2.58 m high) erected on the back of a marble tortoise in 1715. In the Nguyen Dynasty, Kings such as Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Thanh Thai all had the pagoda restored. Phuoc Duyen tower (at first called Tu Nhan tower) was built in 1884 by King Thieu Tri. Phuoc Duyen tower has seven-stored with 21m high in octagonal shape.

Dai Hung shrine is a main-hall and a magnificent architecture. In the main-hall, besides the bronze cast statues, there preserved some precious antiquities: the bronze gong cast in 1677, the wooden gilded board with Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu's inscriptions in 1714. On the both sides of the pagoda there are a bonze's room and a guest-room for visitors. In front of the pagoda is flowers and ornamental plant. At the back is a calm and romantic pine-tree garden.The pagoda was heavily damage in 1943. Priest Thich Don Hau has organized a great renovation of the pagoda for more than 30 years since 1945. Nowadays it becomes more and more magnificent and attracts tourist near and far.

Ngo Mon Gate

This three-story structure is 58 m long, 27.5 m wide, 17 m high and serves as the main entrance to Imperial city. There are five gates to Ngo Mon, with the central gate being reserved for the kings only. The two adjacent gates were exclusively for court officials, and the two other outer gates were used for servants and members of the royal entourage. On top of the arch in the Five Phoenix Tower where the king sat during festivities.


This was also where ceremonies were organized to announce the names of successful candidates of royal examinations. During the reign of the Nguyen Kings, Ngo Mon Gate was only opened when the kings were passing by or receiving foreign ambassadors.

Throne Palace

Throne palace, the building for great court's meetings, faces the Noon gate and lies right on the axis piercing the centre of the Royal citadel. It was constructed in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long and used later in 1806 for his coronation. In 1833 it was moved onto a foundation of 2.33m high as now by Emperor Minh Mang. It is 44m long, 30.5m across, 11.8m high and contains a 5-compartment, two-bay main building connected with a 7-compartment, two-bay front building.
The columns are lacquered red and decorated with golden dragon designs. On the roof ridge rest two dragon designs paying homage to a moon. Eaves and roof corners are ornamented with head-turning dragon designs. These and the moldings along the eaves are inlaid with multicoloured ceramic chips. The roof is covered with yellow enameled tiles. Constructors of the Throne palace have created two contradictive features: cool inside in summer and warm in winter. Throne Palace is the site where solemn ceremonies took place such as: the Coronation Day, the Crown Prince Coronation Day, Emperor's Birthday Anniversaries, etc.

Hue's Museum Of Antiquity

Hue's Museum of Antiquity is a gallery displaying collections of bronzeware, ceramics, chinaware, furniture, royal costumes and personal belongings from former Vietnamese emperors.
Now located at 3 Le Truc Street, the museum was built in 1845 by Emperor Thieu Tri. The elegant building, initially called Long An Palace, was dismantled and rebuilt in 1909 at its present location to serve as a library and office. This building is a monument of remarkable value. It contains some wooden panels that are inscribed with poems and essays written by Emperor Thieu Tri himself.

Trang Tien Bridge

Spanning the Huong river there are more than ten bridges but only one becomes Hue symbol, that's Trang Tien bridge.
As written in Annual of Unified Great Nam by " The office of Vietnam History" of the Nguyen Dynasty, "the metal 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".  In August 1904, a terrible typhoon devastated the Center of Vietnam, and 6 spans of the bridge were broken down, only two spans remained. In 1906 the bridge was reconstructed. Trang Tien bridge has been repaired so many times again. Near the bridge right gate there was once a small market at the Trang Tien wharf, named Dong Ba. Nowadays Dong Ba is a trading center of Hue city.
See more:
List of things to do in Bac Kan Vietnam I have experienced
20+ spots included: Top best things to do in Ha Giang Province, Vietnam 

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