Hue Things to Do

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Citadel Complex is located on the north of the City with 2km by 2km's walls surrounding it. It is separated by Perfume River (Song Huang) with the other side of the city. This complex comes with beautiful ancient Chinese gates and doors. The main gate is Ngo Mon gate, and straight-in is the Thai Hoa Palace, and the Forbidden Purple city. The Palace is facing Perfume River which is facing on the east. On each side of the walls comes with beautiful gates like Chuong Duc Gate, Hien Nhon Gate, Hoa Binh Gate, and etc. There were so many gates, I could easily get lost inside this palace. Outside the palace's gates, you can see lakes, old houses, old streets, gardens, and etc are also consider in Citadel area.

This complex was built by Nguyen Phuc Anh, Gia Long Dynasty in 1802. The emperor was lasted until 1900s, the buildings inside the complex started to get ruin by termite and cyclone damage, and continued with Vietnam war. But overall, they still remain and maintain some of the great building in this complex.

Don't miss this..

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The older section of Hue is a walled Citadel with 11 gates and a moat, constructed from 1804-1833. At one time there were about 100 structures. The Imperial Enclosure is within the walls, including the Peace Palace and the Forbidden Purple City.

The king used the Peace Palace for affairs of state, and the Forbidden Purple City was a private residence reserved for the king. The side buildings between the palaces were offices where administrators prepared for meetings with the king. The 8 ranks of Mandarins stood outside the Peace Palace and waited for the king to come. The higher their rank, the closer they stood to the building.

The king’s mother lived within the walls also, a short distance from the palaces. Some of this compound was bombed, but her reception and relaxation area was spared. It consists of several beautiful rooms overlooking a pond. The roof tiles are jade, made to look like bamboo.

Admission: about $3 U.S.

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The Thien Mu Pagoda was built in 1605, but the tower that is there now dates from 1620. It is brick, with mortar made from lime and honey.

On one of the buildings, there are statues of the good gods and the evil gods facing each other. They look similar except that the good gods are smiling. The figures are made from mud and straw, and their eyebrows and beards are human hair. Another area features the judges from Hell—when you die, you go before their court and they decide what punishment is due for your sins.

A memorial on the grounds honors the Buddhist monk who burned himself to death in 1963 to protest the Diem regime’s policies toward Buddhists. They passed a law—one week before Buddha’s birthday—forbidding religious celebrations. Protests against the law started in Hue.

Twenty to thirty monks live here permanently. There is a Buddhist school on the grounds, so there are students also.

Admission is free.

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For all who are looking after a good photo shot, it's a must to see the Incense sticks "industry". One or tow women are busy in mixing substances to a stinky and dangerous mix, and them to stick it to a stick.

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Coming in from the Ngo Mon Gate, there is a large lotus pond separating the gate from the Thai Hoa with a bridge across. As with the central door on the Ngo Mon, only the emperor could use the bridge. Others walked around the pond. What is a Royal Lotus Pond without Royal Fish - voracious koi in this case. For a small fee, on the gate side of the bridge you can purchase a handful of fish food with which you can stir up a frenzy below!

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Elephants are far from plentiful in Vietnam as they used to be. Maybe the best known area where elephants were captured and trained was in Ban Don northwest of Dalat in the Central Highlands. If you were an emperor though you had to have your own elephants and that was the case here. Today, normal people can ride a elephant where only royals could once tread. The 50+ year old elephant - what he must have seen! - with one tusk - maybe the other being sold off along time ago to old Chinese males who had not discovered Viagra yet - takes you slowly ambling around the lotus pond and across the royal bridge - I forgot to ask if he was once originally from the royal herd. Unless you really get off the beaten path in Vietnam, it might be the only elephant you get to see!

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A fleet of dragon boats exists on the banks of the Perfume River to transport tourists here and there. Most boat trips will take you from the Hue boat wharf just east of the Trang Thien Bridge along Le Loi, up river to the pagoda of Thien Mu and the Van Mieu and Hon Chen temples, as well as to three of the seven Imperial Mausoleums. Boats can be arranged by hotels or tour agents beforehand or you can haggle a bit at any of the boat landings.

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Built on a hill along the north side of the Perfume River in 1844, the Thien Mu Pagoda is one of Vietnam’s most famous buildings. An original pagoda dates further back to 1601 - and it was originally built upon an older Cham temple - when a Fairy Woman/Thien Mu told Lord Nguyen Hoang to build a pagoda here to ensure the country’s prosperity. The pagoda is a 21 meter high octagonal structure of seven storeys - one for each of the different incarnations of the Buddha. To the right is a pavilion housing a monument dating to 1715 and to the left a huge bell, Dai Hong Chung, is inside another pavilion. The bell was cast in 1710 and can be heard up to 10 km away. Beyond the pagoda is a main sanctuary where a laughing Buddha sits.

Thieu Mu was a center for anti-colonialism in the 1930 and 1940’s. Later, it was a fulcrum in the 1963 Buddhist riots against the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem. One of the monks from here - several still live behind the sanctuary - Thich Quang Duc, was the first of several to immolate himself on the streets of Saigon in protest. The old car which carried him to Saigon is housed behind the sanctuary.