The Heavenly Lady Pagoda has two sections. One is the tower you saw on the previous page, with its bell cast in 1710. Behind the tower there is the place where the local monks practice Buddhism. This pagoda played a central role in Buddhism in Vietnam. One of its monks hit the world headlines when he burned himself to death in Saigon in a protest against the corrupt South Vietnam regime in 1963. The car he used to get to Saigon is on display in one of the rooms of the pagoda.
The second stop in your Royal Tombs tour usually is the Tomb Of Tu Duc. Your boat will stop on a dock by the river, you will climb some steps and get to a road. On the road you will find a bar, and some local guys with motorbikes. After negotiating the price of the ride, they will take you on their back seats to the Royal Tomb. They will wait for you outside the temple. Usually you pay once you get back to your boat. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to visit the tomb in detail, but I did enjoy my visit.
This is a rather big complex, with more than 50 monuments surrounded by a one mile long wall. Emperor Tu Duc was born in 1829 and died in 1883. He was the king of Vietnam for more than 35 years. The construction of his tomb began 20 years before his death, and lasted 4 years.
Emperor Tu Duc was a literate man. He was famous for its poetry and prose books. He constructed his tomb in order to be the place where he could relax and live for ever after. Poetry and romantic symbols are everywhere.
The tomb of Tu Duc was built with the idea of blending it with the surrounding nature. Animals, flowers and plants were used as decorative items. In the picture you can see a detail of one of the roofs in the tomb.
The second of the Royal Tombs you get to visit on a boat tour is that of Emperor Khai Dinh. This is one of my favorites. Even if your time or budget are tight, you definitely should visit it.
Emperor Khai Dinh ruled Vietnam for nine years. He was born in 1885 and died in 1925. The tomb took eleven years to complete. It was finished in 1931.
The construction of this tomb was done during the beginning of the twentieth century, when European influence was starting in Vietnam. For this reason this is the less Oriental of the Royal Tombs in Hue. Nevertheless the mixture of European and vietnamese styles makes of this a wonderful place.
Climbing the stairs passed the courtyard you get to a second level, where this impressive building stands. Inside its concrete walls is a nice room with decorated ceilings with a statue of the emperor.
The ceilings of the hall in the tomb are decorated with hand painted frescoes depicting dragons. This is another clear evidence of the European influence. It was inspired by the European churches.
This gilded statue of the Emperor Khai Dinh is the only representation of a leader of the old Vietnam in the Hue tombs. Although it is very different, this hall remembered me of the rooms in the Versailles Palace in Paris.
Two huge statues of dragons surround the stairs that lead to the Royal Tomb of Khai Dinh. If you come with an organized tour, you may not have much time to visit the places. Usually you have less than an hour to get to the tomb, visit the temples, and get back to your boat. This includes hiring a motorbike and bargaining for the price of the ride. For this reason I recommend booking a private tour.
On the following page we will visit the last tomb of this virtual tour, the tomb of Minh Mang. There are more tombs in the outskirts of Hue. In total there are seven tombs, each corresponding to a different emperor. The style of the tomb gives us a lot of information about the time the emperor lived.
Eight miles from the center of Hue (12 Km), sits one of the most famous tombs in the area, the tomb of Minh Mang. The works to build this complex lasted three years, from 1840 to 1843. The tomb is surrounded by a rampart, with three gates. Inside the walls, there are 40 monuments. The most important of them are lined up along an imaginary axis.
If you only have time (or money) to visit one tomb, this is probably it. The tomb of Minh Mang is one of the biggest, and most beautiful, in the outskirts of Hue. More than 10,000 people took part in its construction.
The Emperor Minh Mang was born in 1820, and died in 1840, before his tomb was completed. During his reign the Nguyen Dynasty enjoyed its period of maximum splendor. With the help of his Mandarin advisor, Le Van Duc, the emperor chose this place for his eternal rest.
Next to this Lake of Tranquility sits the Royal Tomb of Minh Mang, which cannot be visited. The Emperor also dedicated a temple to his beloved wife, the Sung An Temple. With this sight, we will end our visit to the Royal Tombs in Hue.
In this picture you can see one of the boats that do the Royal Tombs circuit. This is one of the biggest boats. There are also smaller ones that do the same tour. Prices of the tours do not vary much. If you are good at bargaining, you will be able to get a very good deal. But remember that you will have to pay a ticket at each tomb, and you have to pay for the bike ride to get there. During the day tour, you will be offered a local lunch.
This is the flag pole in front of the Hue Citadel. This is the tallest pole in Vietnam.
If you have an evening free, it is a good idea to come to visit the citadel by night. The complex is closed after dusk, but you will be able to see its nicely illuminated facade (you have a night picture of the facade at the beginning of this virtual tour).
If you have more days left in Hue, there are a couple of recommended excursions. One is to a spa in the outskirts of Hue. If you need to relax, this is the place for you. In the area there are several pools with natural warm water. Some of the pools are hotter than others. Most of the visitors are Vietnamese. There is a bar that serves drinks and food. If you want to visit this place, ask your hotel or one of the tourist agencies in central Hue, or rent a taxi.
If you need more action, you can visit the Demilitarized Zone. The DMZ is the area around parallel 17th. This is the area declared neutral on the Geneva Accords. If you buy one of the tours, you will visit some monuments and tunnels. The excursion will take you a full day. If you want to go to the beach, you can go to the Thuan an Beach, 10 miles from Hue. On weekdays the beach is almost empty.
Well my friend this is it, this Virtual Tour came to its end. I hope you enjoyed it.
In the picture you can see the bridge on the Perfume River. Every night a nice illumination effect takes place. Lights of different colors change the appearance of the bridge for a few minutes. another good excuse for a night stroll in the center of Hue.
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