To understand Hue in Central Vietnam, it’s important to note that this town has played a significant role in Vietnamese history for the past several hundred years. History is what makes Hue what it is: a new town on one side of the Huong River (romantically called the Perfume River), and a collection of old pagodas, imperial buildings, and tombs on the other.
And the past is how Hue makes its living today, which explains the aggressive cyclo drivers, the numerous tour providers, and throngs of tourists tramping through this laid-back Central Vietnam city.
Hue’s Past and Present
Hue was the former feudal and Imperial capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Emperors. Before the Nguyens, Hue belonged to the Hindu Cham people, who were later displaced by the Vietnamese people as we know them today.
The book on the Nguyens was closed in Hue, as the last emperor Bao Dai turned over the reins of power to the Viet Minh at the Noon Gate of the Purple Forbidden City in August 30, 1945.
This wasn’t the end to Hue’s troubles, as the conflict between the Communist north and the capitalist south (what we now call the Vietnam War) turned Central Vietnam into contested territory. The Tet Offensive in 1968 spurred North Vietnam’s occupation of Hue, which was countered by South Vietnamese and U.S. forces. In the resulting “Battle of Hue”, the city was destroyed and over five thousand civilians were killed.
Years of reconstruction and rehabilitation have gone some way to restore Hue to its former glory. Hue is presently the capital of the surrounding Binh Tri Thien province, with a population of 180,000.
The southern half of Hue is a quietly bustling community filled with schools, government buildings, and charming old 19th-century houses and a scattering of temples. The northern half is dominated by the Imperial citadel and the Forbidden Purple City (or what’s left of it); around the Dong Ba Market next to the citadel, shopping areas have sprung up.
Hue’s Architectural Attractions
As a former Imperial capital, Hue is notable for its many royal structures, most notably the Forbidden Purple City, the home of the Nguyen Emperors until 1945. From the early 1800s to Bao Dai’s abdication in 1945, the Forbidden Purple City - enclosed by the high-walled Citadel - was the center of Vietnamese governance and politics.
The Citadel is about 520 hectares in size; its high stone walls and the Purple Forbidden City behind them, once hermetically sealed against outsiders, are now open to the public.
There are plenty of wide open spaces in the Citadel’s interior where Imperial buildings used to stand. Most of these were destroyed during the Tet Offensive, but a continuous renovation program promises to restore the Citadel to its former glory.
Imperial buildings, in accordance with Chinese-inspired tradition, were designed to conform with feng shui principles. These buildings contained elements that were meant to maximize the structure’s auspicious standing with the universe.
This adherence to ancient principles can most clearly be seen in the Imperial tombs around Hue, all of which bear common elements derived from feng shui.
Of the seven known Imperial tombs around Hue, three are significantly more popular compared to the rest, due to their relative good condition and easy accessibility – these are the tombs of Minh Mang, Tu Duc, and Khai Dinh.
One of Hue’s oldest historical sites - preceding the Citadel and the tombs in age and veneration - is Thien Mu Pagoda, a hilltop temple located about three miles from Hue city center.
Thien Mu overlooks the northern bank of the Perfume River. It was established by a governor of Hue in 1601 to fulfill a local legend - the pagoda’s name (which translates to “Heavenly Lady”) refers to the ghostly lady in the story.
Thien Mu’s seven-storey tower is one of the pagoda’s newer buildings - it was added in 1844 by the Nguyen Emperor Thieu Tri.
The treasures of the Nguyen dynasty - or some of them - were preserved in a wooden palace located in the citadel, in the area called Tay Loc Ward. The Museum of Royal Fine Arts, as it is known today, showcases everyday items from the Forbidden Purple City in its heyday - gongs, sedan chairs, clothing, and utensils. Finely crafted bronze, chinaware, ceremonial weaponry, and court finery show visitors how extraordinary the “ordinary” day of a Nguyen courtier could be.
The building itself dates from 1845, and is notable for its unique architecture: a traditional type called trung thiem diep oc (“sloping successive roofs”) supported by 128 pillars. The walls are inscribed with brushed letters in traditional Vietnamese script.
The Museum of Royal Fine Arts is located in the Citadel at 3 Le Truc Streeet; operating hours are between 6:30am and 5:30pm, from Tuesday to Sunday.
Hue’s history as an Imperial power center is closely tied with the histories of the area’s prominent families, most of whom built ornate garden houses in the city.
Despite the departure of the emperors, some of the garden houses remain standing today, maintained by the descendants of the mandarins or nobles who built them. Among these houses are Lac Tinh Vien on 65 Phan Dinh Phung St., Princess Ngoc Son on 29 Nguyen Chi Thanh St., and Y Thao on 3 Thach Han St.
Each garden house has an area of about 2,400 square yards. Like the royal tombs, the garden houses have several aspects in common: a tile-covered gate in front of the house, a lush garden surrounding the house, commonly set off with a small rock garden; and a traditional house.
Hue’s architectural treasures and vestiges have earned the city international recognition as Vietnam’s first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, a status granted in 1993.
To read about how to get to Hue, getting around the city, and more about hotels in Hue, go to the next page.