Hue

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 01:06

King Minh Mang’s Tomb

Located 12 km far from the city on the left branch of the Perfume River, built as the plan drawn out by the King himself and on the place chosen by the King too in the middle of the pine forest. It took ten thousand soldiers and artisans to complete the project from 1840-to 1843. The tomb consists of about 40 monuments of various sizes; all lie within an oval shaped wall with a circumference of 2,000m. A walk of about 700m in length bisects the interior of the complex into two equal halves. Along it are the Salutation Court, Stele House, Sung An Temple, Minh Lau Pavilion, and the tomb itself being at the very back of the complex.

King Tu Duc’s Tomb

Tu Duc was the fourth emperor of The Nguyen Dynasty. He had his tomb constructed when still on the throne in 1848. It is 7 km far from the city; his tomb includes 50 monuments surrounded by a 1,500m wall. Emperor Tu Duc was an expert in eastern philosophy, history, and literature. It comprises of an important number of buildings, man-made ponds full of nenuphars and lotuses, crossed by various bridges and covered by frangipanes. This is one of the most romantic and splendid masterpieces.

King Khai Dinh’s Tomb

Khai Dinh, the twelfth king of the Nguyen Dynasty and the father of King Bao Dai who is the last emperor of Vietnam. The construction started from 1920 to 1931. 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. The conception of architecture and decoration got the European influence.

Thien Mu Pagoda

Located 6 km far from the city on the left branch of the Perfume River, this Buddhist monastery was erected in 1601 by Lord Nguyen Hoang, the ancestor of The Nguyen, on a used hilly brick foundation of a Cham building.

According to the legend, the people around this area used to see a vision of an old lady appearing on the hill where the pagoda now sits. Upon seeing people, she always said that someday a great leader would build a pagoda at this site to bring peace to the country. One day, when Lord Nguyen Hoang passed by this area, upon hearing the story, he ordered the construction of the pagoda in 1601. He named it Chua Thien Mu - Heavenly Lady Pagoda.The Pagoda was the center of Buddhism in central Vietnam