Hue Citadel – the golden architecture of 13 kings of the Nguyen Dynasty

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Hue Citadel is also known as Thuan Hoa Citadel. This complex was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty for 140 years. Although the Nguyen dynasties have declined, Hue Citadel still retains the quintessence of ancient architecture and is also the most popular tourist destination attracting many visitors. Let’s follow Say Hello Vietnam to discover!

Location: Located on the north bank of the Perfume River, in Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province.

Discovering the dreamy land of Hue, visitors do not forget to stop by to visit Hue Citadel – one of the historical proofs of the country’s golden age during the feudal period.

This Citadel is in the Ancient Capital, where the Nguyen Dynasty was located for 140 years, from 1805 to 1945.
Hue Citadel is inside the Hue Monuments Complex, recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1993.
Today, this work is sightseeing that attracts many domestic and international tourists.

Hue Citadel will be open to visitors every day from 7 am to 5 pm. You should pay attention to the time to arrange the schedule appropriately and fully conquer the scenic spots in this relic.

To enter Hue Imperial City, visitors need to buy entrance tickets. You can refer to the ticket price as follows:

– Adults: 150,000 VND / time

– Children from 6 to 12 years old: 30,000 VND/time

To get to Hue Citadel, visitors first need to reach Hue city. Due to the development of transport infrastructure, you can move to the ancient capital by many means such as motorbikes, coaches, trains, planes. After visitors reach Hue city, you can rent a motorbike or choose a reputable taxi to move across Phu Xuan bridge and run through Cua Ban. Then you will get Hue Citadel.

Because you have to move a lot in the Hue Citadel, you should choose comfortable clothes for easy movement, avoid wearing high heels because your feet will hurt. In addition, The Citadel is also a historical relic with many mausoleums, pagodas, and communal houses, so visitors should choose discreet clothes and avoid revealing and offensive.

The Citadel is also a historical relic, so dress modestly.

In 1802, right after reunifying the country and ascending the throne, King Gia Long – the first king of the Nguyen Dynasty, decided to choose Hue to build the Hue Citadel. Because people only traveled by elephants and horses at that time, the king thought that the capital must be located between the two ends of the country to facilitate the exchange of information. After that, people planned the Citadel, and construction began in 1805. King Gia Long and the ministers of the Nguyen Dynasty took care of the entire field survey process.

Hue Citadel was built for 27 years (1805 – 1832) under Gia Long and Minh Mang.
In the construction phase in 1805, the court had to mobilize about 30,000 people and soldiers to serve the river blocking, digging trenches.
Ten main gates around Hue Citadel were built-in 1809.
By 1818, the number of people mobilized to build the Citadel was up to 80,000 people, focusing on building bricks on four sides East-West – South-North.
After the Citadel began to be built in 1805, Hue wore a new “coat.”

Some villages have been erased, and some rivers flow through Hue, only remaining in names in history books. Looking back today, few people would think that Hue had changed, such as: filling rivers, digging trenches, filling holes, digging canals, but thinking that Hue Citadel was built on such available land.

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Hue Citadel is square, 11km in circumference, and 520ha in area. You know, to have such a large piece of land, in the past, the king had to order the relocation of 8 villages in this area to build the capital, including Phu Xuan, Van Xuan, Dien Phai, An Van, An Hoa, An My, The Lai, An Buu. And then compensate them eight new lands to rebuild the village.

The structure of the Citadel of Hue was in the style of the French Vauban ramparts with 24 fortresses protruding outwards, combined with architectural principles in the East.
The wall is covered with earthen bricks with an average thickness of 21.5m and a height of 6.6m.

Thanks to the clever application to suit the terrain, Hue Citadel becomes one of the unique architectural works, with changes and differences compared to the previous capitals.

There are 13 gates in all, of which ten will lead to the outside, one internal gate, and two waterway gates. 

Which ten main gates of Hue Citadel include:

The North Gate, also known as the Hau Gate, is located at the back of the Citadel.
West – North Gate, also known as An Hoa Gate, the village and market here, is located northwest of Citadel, connecting two streets Tang Bat Ho and Nguyen Trai.
Chanh Tay Gate is located on the west side of the Citadel on Thai Phien Street.
West – South Gate (Huu Gate) on the right of the Citadel
Chanh Nam Gate is located in the south of the Citadel, also called Nha Do Gate, because nearby there is Vo Kho – a storehouse for weapons, established during the Gia Long period.
Quang Duc Gate, also known as Sap Gate, is located in the South of Hue Citadel.
The Nhon gate is the compartment gate because it used to have a high wall separating the road for the king to the river harbor, located in the south, to the left of Ky Dai of the Citadel.
The East-South gate is also known as Thuong Tu gate because Thuong Ky Institute and horse train are located inside the door, located in the East corner of Southeast Kinh Thanh.
Chanh Dong gate means Dong Ba gate, the name of the residential area here.
The East-North Gate is named Ke Trai Gate, located in the Northeast corner of Hue Citadel.
Tay Thanh Thuy Quan
Dong Thanh Thuy Quan

The Forbidden City is the innermost Citadel of Hue Citadel. This place was built in 1804 for the king and royal family.

The Forbidden City is rectangular in design, with the North and South sides 341m long, the East and West sides 308m long, the circumference is 1928m, the front is Dai Cung Mon.

Inside the Citadel, there are nearly 50 large and small works such as Thuong Thien (the cooking place for the king), Can Chanh Palace, Can Thanh Palace.

Duyet Thi Duong – theater in Hue Citadel
Can Chanh Palace was where the king worked every day.
Can Thanh Palace was where the king lived.
The Copper cauldron
Khon Thai Palace is the residence of Hoang Quy Phi.
Thai Binh Palace was where the king reads books.
Kien Trung Palace where only King Bao Dai and Empress Nam Phuong lived, construction materials were imported from France and burned.

The Imperial Citadel ( Citadel ) is the second Citadel of Hue Citadel, designed as the king’s residence and the royal family and the workplace of the feudal court. This palace is also a place to worship ancestors and the late Nguyen kings.

The Imperial Citadel has more than 100 works built-in 1804 under King Gia Long and completed in 1833 under King Minh Mang. In addition, inside the Imperial Citadel, there is Dien Tho Palace, Hien Lam Cac.

Around the Imperial Citadel – Hue Citadel has a protective moat, four doors, of which the main door is Ngo Mon, only for the king to go.
Dien Tho Palace is the residence of Empress Dowager.
Hien Lam Cac is a memorial to remember the merits of the king and the Nguyen Dynasty mandarins.

In the journey to discover Hue Citadel, Thai Hoa Palace attracts many visitors when witnessing the coronation of Nguyen Dynasty kings, sitting on the throne to rule the country.

Thai Hoa Palace is the center of the Hue Citadel, the center of the country, and a symbol of the power of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Inside the palace is the throne, and in front is the Courtyard of the Nghi Dynasty – where the mandarins stand to attend the Dai Dynasty ceremony.
The yard has two floors, paved with Thanh stone. There are two rows of small stone steles engraved on the hierarchy of mandarins from first grade to ninth grade.
Thai Hoa Palace was influenced by two great wars from 1947 to 1968.
Partly due to the pump falling, stray bullets, many places were burned, the rest due to the harsh climate of the Central region with constant rain and wind, so the wooden truss system was also damaged quite a lot.

Ngo Mon is the main gate, located at the South gate of Hue Citadel. This gate is the entrance of the Nguyen Dynasty or the place where important ceremonies are held.

Together with the system of palaces inside, Ngo Mon Gate forms a magnificent and magnificent architectural work.

Below the gate is built with long exposed stone slabs leading to the Ngu Phung floor.
In March 2019, to regain the pristine beauty like when it was newly built, Ngo Mon Gate was cleaned of moss with modern German hot steam technology.
If not, quickly check in Ngo Mon to have a beautiful photo like in the old movies!

Besides, Hue Citadel also has several other monuments such as Ngu Phung Lau, Ky Dai, Quoc Tu Giam School, Long An Palace, Bao Vinh Ancient Town. With ancient beauty, splendor, majesty, the Imperial City Hue is an attractive tourist place, attracting many visitors to move to this land of God.

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