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This ancient
capital, also known as Thua Thien Hue, was
founded on the northern bank of the Song Huong
River (Perfume River) in the 17th century by the
Nguyen Dynasty. Hue served as Vietnam's
political capital from 1802 to 1945 under the 13
emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. Traditionally,
the city has been of one Vietnam's cultural,
religious and educational centre and has now
become a very famous tourist destination.
In December 1993,
Hue was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site and its tourist attractions lie along the northern
bank of the Perfume River which has vestiges
consisting of palaces, which were constructed as
arc defensive ramparts with eleven kilometers in length.
This important sites includes more than 100
architectural works which reflects the life of
the Emperors and mandarins under the Nguyen
reign and these magnificent sight will make
stare in awe.
One of Vietnam's
disintegrating treasures is Hue's Citadel, the
erstwhile imperial city on the northern bank of
the Perfume River which began to be built in
1804 by Emperor Gia Long and although it was
damaged during the war but it never lost its
attractiveness. The Emperor's official
function were carried out in the Imperial
Enclosure (Da Noi or Hoang Thanh), famously
known as a 'citadel
within the Citadel'. Within the Imperial
Enclosure is the Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam
Thanh), which was reserved for the private life
of the Emperor whereby this place was only
recently opened for public viewing.
Situated in the
middle of the hills on the southern bank of the
Perfume River are the very beautiful tombs of
the Nguyen Kings. Among these tombs, four famous
ones stands out from the rest with their unique
names and arrangements reflecting each
individual Emperor's point of view, personality
and tastes. They are the Gia Long tomb, the
imposing Minh Mang tomb, the poetic Tu Duc tomb
and the magnificent Khai Dinh tomb.
Hue is also an
important centre for Buddhism. In Hue and its
surrounding still exist tens of pagodas
constructed more than 300 years ago and a
hundred more temples and pagodas were added in
the early century. Hue is the place where the
royal music originated and it is also famous for
its traditional dishes and sophisticated
handicraft and among the magnificent pagodas
and places of interest here are the Thien Mu Pagoda, Bao Quoc Pagoda
and the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was built
with a mixture of European and Asian
architectural design.
Nowadays, Hue City
resembles an open-air museum with hundreds of
temples, pagodas, palaces and tombs for visitors
who have seen enough stone structures, then head
off to Thuan An Beach for a swim, take a boat
journey along the scenic Perfume River or take a
day tour to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
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