After three hours of purgatory, also referred to as a bus ride, we arrived in Hue, the former residence of the emperors of Viet Nam. The imperial capitol was moved from Ha Noi in the very early 1800s by the first emperor of the latest Nguyen ruling dynasty (I say latest because there have been MANY Nguyen rulers throughout history). That emperor, Gia Long, intended to unify the south and north, even selecting a throne name to reflect this intent - Gia from the old name for Sai Gon, and Long from the former name of Ha Noi. 

The main attractions in Hue proper are related to its role as imperial capital from about 1802 to 1945. Like Beijing, Hue has a Forbidden City, surrounded by a citadel. Unlike Beijing, most of the Citadel, places of government, and royal residences were heavily damaged, if not destroyed, during fighting with first the French and then the Americans. Today, major work is being done to restore the Citadel, palaces, and pagodas to their former splendour. The Forbidden Purple City itself has not yet been restored; only some foundations and staircases remain. Occasionally, you can see a fragment of floor tile which would have been exclusively walked on by the royal family and their closest servants. Except for these few tiles, grasses and mimosa now rule the landscape. There are still pockmarks from bullets and shrapnel visible in many of the standing walls, as well as a number of walls partially demolished by both shells and neglect.

Citadel's Flag Tower - the flag pole is 37m tall

Restored Hall of the Mandarins

Topiary elephant - originally, there were real ones

One of the few remaining floor tiles from the Forbidden Purple City

One of the many gates of the Citadel complex

 In spite of or perhaps because of, the combination of destruction and newly restored buildings, the Citadel has an ambiance of its own. Gia Long’s advisers and astronomers chose the location for the palace based on astronomical portents and river access -the area also seems to be able to capture whatever breeze there may be. And the place is quiet - even in the modern city, with traffic and shops right outside the Citadel walls, you can barely hear the motorcycle horns (which really do say “beep beep” here) from near the walls on the inside. In Georgian England, those associated with the royal court referred to their particular circle as ‘The World’. At the Citadel, it’s not hard to imagine how the Vietnamese royal court could be its own, self-contained world and completely unaware of the existence of anything or anyone outside of that world.

Recently restored walkway

Restored Hung To Mieu Temple, dedicated to Gia Long's parents

And you thought unicorns weren't real!

 Ken and I continued the theme of visiting monarchs’ private worlds the next day with a visit to one of the royal tombs. A number of the Nguyen emperors built tombs in the Hue area, and we hadn’t had the chance to see any of them on our last trip. We went to the tomb of Tu Duc, who reigned from 1847 until his death in 1883. His tomb complex was built during the 1860’s -it was quite common for a reigning emperor to design and build his own tomb. During his lifetime, Tu Duc’s used his tomb, which included a small stream and island, as a retreat from the stresses of the court at Hue. Of course, his mandarins, eunuchs, and many, many concubines accompanied him on such occasions. The stream is still there, as are the pavilions, mandarins’ quarters, and the foundations of the concubines’ residences.

Roof detail from a building in the tomb complex

Lake and partially reconstructed pavilion

 The emperor’s mausoleum begins with an honour courtyard, flanked by stone elephants and mandarins. The mandarin statues are quite intricate, but short -Tu Duc was a short man (about 5 feet or so), and it simply wouldn’t do to have tall mandarins serving him in the afterlife. From here, you enter the Stele Pavilion, which contains a massive stone stele detailing Tu Duc’s accomplishments. Through another gate, and you enter the area of the actual stone sarcophagus, where he is not buried. His remains and grave goods were interred in a secret location - apparently, every servant involved in the burial was executed to ensure that the secret endured. Tu Duc had made a number of powerful enemies during his reign (the French and the Catholic Church); this increased the chances of grave-robbing and desecration.

Elephant and horse in the Honour Courtyard

Tu Duc's Stele Pavilion, in the midst of restoration work

More about our time in Hue in the next post - then we're off to Ha Noi!