Hué

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Complex of Huế Monuments*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Khải Định tomb
State Party Flag of Vietnam Vietnam
Type Cultural
Criteria iv
Reference 678
Region** Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 1993  (17th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

(化 in chữ Nôm) is the capital city of Thừa Thiên - Huế province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty. As such, it is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people.

Geography

Located in central Vietnam on the banks of the Sông Hương (Hương River), the city sits just a few miles inland from the Biển Đông. It lies about 700 kilometers (438 mi.) south of the national capital of Hanoi and about 1100 kilometers (690 mi.) north of Hồ Chí Minh City, the country's largest city formerly known as Saigon.

Map of ThuaThien-Hue Province


Imperial City in Huế

The Imperial City in Huế is a walled fortress and palace in the former capital of Vietnam.

Characteristics

The grounds were surrounded by a wall 2 kilometers by 2 kilometers, and the walls were surrounded by a moat. The water from the moat was taken from the Huong River (Perfume River) that flows through Huế. This structure is called the citadel.

Inside the citadel was the Imperial City, with a perimeter of almost 2.5 kilometers.

Inside the Imperial City was the imperial enclosure (called the Purple Forbidden City in Vietnamese, a term that mimics that used by the Chinese for their own forbidden city). The enclosure was reserved for the Nguyen royal family. Interestingly, this is the same name that the Chinese gave to their palace complex, the Forbidden City. Like its Chinese counterpart, Vietnam's Purple Forbidden City included many palaces, gates and courtyards.

History

In June 1802 Nguyễn Phúc Ánh took control of Vietnam and proclaimed himself Emperor Gia Long. His rule was recognized by China in 1804.

Gia Long confided with geomancers to decide which was the best place for a new palace and citadel to be built. After the geomancers had decided on a suitable site in Huế, in 1804 building began. Thousands of workers were forced to produce a wall and moat, 10 kilometer long. Initially the walls were earthen, but later these earthen walls were replaced by stone walls, 2 meters thick.

The citadel was oriented to face the Huong River to the east. This was different than the Forbidden City in Beijing, which faces south. The Emperor's palace is on the east side of the citadel, nearest the river. A second set of walls and a second moat was constructed around the Emperor's palace. Many more palaces and gates and courtyards and gardens were subsequently added.

The rule of the last Vietnamese Emperor lasted until the mid-1900s. At that time, the Purple Forbidden City had many buildings and hundreds of rooms. It suffered from termite and cyclone damage, but was still very impressive. Many bullet holes left over from the war can be observed on the stone walls.

The American bombing in 1968 in response to a communist takeover of Huế flattened most of the Imperial city. Only a few buildings survived, such as the Thai Hoa Temple, Can Thanh Temple, The Mieu, and Hieu Lam Cac.

The city was made a UNESCO site in 1993. The buildings that still remain are being restored and preserved. Unfortunately, most of the buildings were destroyed during the Vietnam war.

Historic monuments

Hiển Nhân gate

Huế has gained renown for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The Citadel, which occupies a large, walled area on the north side of the river, served as the seat of the Nguyen emperors. Beyond the citadel walls lay a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them could enter, the punishment for trespassing being death. Today, little of the forbidden city remains, though reconstruction efforts have been in progress to maintain it as a tourist attraction as a view of the history of Huế.

Along the Perfume River from Huế lie myriad other monuments, including the tombs of several emperors such as Minh Manh, Khai Dinh, Tu Duc, and others. The Thien Mu pagoda, also notable, sits close to the city center along the river, the largest pagoda in Huế and chosen as the official symbol of the city. The Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts on 3 Le Truc Street also maintains a collection of various artifacts from the city.

History

The citadel in Hue

Huế originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguyễn Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trịnh Sa captured it, it was known as Phú Xuân. In 1802, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Huế the national capital.

Huế was the national capital until 1945, when Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and a Communist government was established in Hà Nội (Hanoi), in the north. While Bảo Đại was briefly proclaimed "Head of State" with the help of the returning French colonialists in 1949 (although not with recognition from the Communists and the full acceptance of the Vietnamese people), his new capital was Sài Gòn (Saigon), in the south.

In the Vietnam War, Huế's central position placed it very near the border between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The city was located in the South. In the Tết Offensive of 1968, during the Battle of Hue, the city suffered considerable damage not only to its physical features, but its reputation as well, most of it from American firepower and bombings on the historical buildings as well as the now infamous massacre at Huế committed by the Communist forces. After the war's conclusion, many of the historic features of Huế were neglected, being seen by the victorious regime and some other Vietnamese as "relics from the feudal regime," but there has since been a change of policy, and some parts of the historic city have been restored.

Cuisine

The cuisine of Huế draws from throughout Vietnam, but one of the most striking differences is the prominence of vegetarianism in the city. Several all-vegetarian restaurants are scattered in various corners of the city to serve the locals who have a strong tradition of eating vegetarian twice a month, as part of their Buddhist beliefs.

Gallery

See Also

Notes


References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Hữu Ngọc, and Lady Borton. 2006. Hué̂ cuisine. Hà Nội: Thé̂ Giới Publishers. OCLC: 133847660.
  • Nolan, Keith William. 1983. Battle for Hue: Tet, 1968. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 9780891411987.
  • Smith, George W. 1999. The siege at Hue. Boulder, Colo: Lynne Rienner. ISBN 9781555878474.

External Links

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Coordinates: 16°28′N 107°36′E


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