The Throne Hall stands in the Great Rites Courtyard. The steles on each side of the courtyard indicate the designated area for mandarins and court officials.
The Bridge of Golden Waters, which only the emperor was allowed to cross, leads between two tranquil, lotus-filled ponds to the Thai Hoa Palace. The yellow-tiled roof of the palace is supported by eighty massive wooden columns lacquered a deep red and decorated with golden dragons, the emblem of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Huge ornate pillars and stone dragons distinguish the back of the Throne Hall, which leads to a courtyard which was once the entrance to the Forbidden Purple City. As with the rest of the palace complex, the Throne Hall was badly damaged during shelling by American warships in 1968 and remained in a state of disrepair until recently.
This solitary, intricately wrought golden throne served as the emperor’s seat in the Throne Hall. It was used during official ceremonies and important court proceedings. On these occasions the emperor would wear a crown decorated with the Nine Dragons design, a golden robe and a jade belt, and would hold in his hands incense sticks or cinnamon bars.
The elegant three-story Hien Lam, Pavilion of the Glorious Coming, at 82 ft (25 m) high is the tallest building in the imperial enclosure. It was constructed in 1821 by Emperor Ming Mang and dedicated to the Nguyen Dynasty. The nine dynastic bronze urns standing at the entrance to the temple, each dedicated to one of the Nguyen emperors, were cast in the 1830s, and are embellished with bas-reliefs of symbolic creatures and plants.
The ceiling of the Dynastic Temple, one of the few buildings spared destruction during the American War, can be seen today in all its original splendor.
Located in the southwest of the Imperial City, the Dynastic Temple (Thê Mieu), dedicated to ten Nguyen emperors, houses a wooden lacquered funerary altar for each emperor, bearing portraits and various liturgical objects.
In addition to the main entrance gate, the Citadel has three simpler gates built in stone which were used on less important occasions. Each symbolized the characteristics of the human being. The West Gate shown here is known as the Virtue Gate.
This photograph of “A young prince and his porters and escort at Hue” attests to the rich cultural lifestyle enjoyed by members of the royal family and to the large numbers of people – mandarins, court officers, civil servants, consorts, concubines, retainers and others – who worked and lived within the three concentric enclosures of the 1330 acre (520 hectare) Citadel.
Although the drawing room in the Queen Mother’s residence is built in Vietnamese style, most of the furnishungs were imported from the West.
The residence of the Queen Mother comprises some buildings inspired by French colonial architecture and others in Vietnamese style.
royal mausoleums of hue
HUE’S MAUSOLEUMS were constructed following the same phuong thuy (geomancy) principles that dictated the layout of the Imperial City. Located along the Perfume River, west of the Citadel, their sites and designs were chosen with great care, since they would become the permanent residences for the remains of the deceased emperors. The same attention was paid to their construction, so much so that they very often became the emperors’ favorite “country retreats.”
All the mausoleums follow the same basic plan: a huge honor courtyard opens onto an alley bordered by stone statues of the emperor’s highest military and civilian mandarins. This leads, sometimes through a wooden gate, to the main pavilion. There stands the emperor’s main altar, with a stele recounting his virtues. Around this pavilion other buildings are usually devoted to his wives and concubines. A bit further away stands the emperor’s temple, with its main altar and often with his favorite objects. The last building of the compound is the grave itself, which is always closed.
Since the emperors personally supervised the construction of their own mausoleums, these usually reflect the period in which they lived as well as their individual personalities. The mausoleum of Gia Long (r. 1804–20), for instance, is sober, almost savage. In contrast, Gia’s son Minh Mang (r. 1820–41), who designed and built his own mausoleum during the first three years of the reign of his son and successor Thieu Tri (r. 1841–7), is more elaborate. The plan of Gia Long’s mausoleum is inspired by the figure three. Three granite staircases lead to the stele pavilion, which is accessed by a beautiful row of red doors. From there, three terraces open to the Sung An temple. Three bridges then cross the Pure Clarity pond to reach the Minh Lau pavilion, which dominates three esplanades that symbolize heaven, earth and water.
The mausoleum of Tu Duc (r. 1847–83) is without any doubt the most beautiful and sophisticated of all the mausoleums in Hue. This emperor, whose reign was the longest ever in Vietnamese history, was a poet and a man well versed in literature and the arts. The design of his mausoleum was more like a residence than a tomb and he used it as such during his long reign. Built by more than 3,000 men between 1864 and 1867, the mausoleum opens with the Vu Khiem gate. A paved alley leads to a water lily and lotus pond dominated by a wooden library where the emperor liked to write his poetry. From here, an imposing staircase leads to the Hoa Khiem temple, which houses the steles and thrones of the emperor and empress, as well as some of the emperor’s personal objects, such as a candlestick presented by Emperor Napoleon III. The temple is ornamented with beautiful and extremely rare paintings on glass depicting famous scenes from Chinese literature and history. The temple overlooks the honor courtyard, which contains stone statues of elephants, horses and mandarins, and in turn leads to the stele pavilion. Tu Duc himself wrote the text on the carved stele. From the pavilion one can see the grave, which is said to be empty. Nobody knows exactly where the king’s remains lie, as legend has it that the 200 servants who buried the king were executed soon after the burial.
Probably one of the most graceful of the eight Nguyen Dynasty tombs, this mausoleum was built to Emperor Minh Mang’s own design after his death in 1841. The grounds are large and peaceful. The entrance is guarded by statues of civil and military officials and opens up to a courtyard with three main temples, including one dedicated to his empress.
Red lacquered doors pivot open into the main pavilion inside Minh Mang’s mausoleum.
Minh Mang’s interest in architecture introduced a lot of new construction to the Imperial City, mostly in the Chinese tradition, not only during his reign but also after the construction of the buildings in his mausoleum.
The Khai Dinh mausoleum (r. 1916–25) is much more modern looking, since the emperor was fond of French architecture and design. A combination of classic Vietnamese style and French palace architecture, it was built between 1920