Royal Tombs of Hue, a Wonder

Hue has seven tombs of seven Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty, planned and constructed in the hilly region southwest of the Citadel, namely: Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Dong Khanh and Khai Dinh. They have in common the following features:

The construction was started almost during the Emperor's reign. Each tomb has dozens of splendid monuments in perfect harmony with poetical natural environment. Constructions in each tomb are often arranged in the following order: wall, triple gate, Salutation Court, Stele House, temples, lakes and ponds, pavilions, garden, and finally, the tomb itself.

According to Oriental outlook, life is ephemeral and death means returning to the peaceful and eternal world. The royal tombs are, therefore, the living world of the deceased and splendid achievements of Vietnamese traditional architecture.

The Royal tombs of Hue was also included in the List of World's Wonders in "Les Merveilles du Monde" published in 1957 in France.

Apart from the above similarities, each tomb also has its own artistic features in accordance with an Emperor's character.

Gia Long Tomb: Strength and serenity
Minh Mang Tomb: Solemnity
Thieu Tri Tomb: Freedom
Tu Duc Tomb: Lyricism
Duc Duc Tomb: Simplicity
Dong Khanh Tomb: Delicacy
Khai Dinh Tomb: Sophistication.