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Hue

Hue was the cultural and intellectual center of Vietnam. This ancient imperial city remains one of Vietnam’s main attractions. The charm of this timeless old city lies not only in its historical and architectural value, but also in the natural beauty of its location along the bank of Perfume River.

Three walled enclosures make up The Imperial Citadel. It comprises Hoàng Thành (yellow enclosure), Tử Cấm Thành (Forbidden purple city) and Kinh Thành (the exterior enclosure). The yellow enclosure and the forbidden purple city are enclosed within the encompassment of the exterior enclosure. The forbidden purple city was reserved only for the emperor and the royal family behind a brick wall of 4 metres thick. Each of gates set into the wall had a special function and name glorifying the ancestor virtues.

A boat trip on the Perfume River is one of the city’s highlights. It helps visitor to discover the daily life of the locals on the river bank and take them to the towel of Thien Mu pagoda and Hon Chen temple. Another Hue rewarding sight is the tombs of Nguyen dynasty. Among these tombs are the four famous ones with a name and the arrangments of the tombs reflected each emperor point of view, personality and tastes. This is the majestic Gia Long tomb, imposing Minh Mang tomb, poetic Tu Duc tomb and the magnificent Khai Dinh tomb.

As a unique city of Vietnam still remains its form of city under Middle age and the constructions of monarchic, Hue has become a big and invaluable museum. Therefore, vestiges in Hue ancient capital have been classified by the government as the precious property and on December 1993 Hue has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.