Hue ancient capital, land of priceless cultural heritage

The ancient capital of Hue today still preserves almost intact tangible and intangible cultural heritages containing many values ​​symbolizing the intelligence and soul of the Vietnamese people.

Hue Citadel, Hue Imperial City, Hue Forbidden City, three nested citadels are arranged symmetrically on a vertical axis running from the South to the North. (Source: Vietnam+)

For nearly 400 years (1558-1945), Hue was the capital of 9 Nguyen lords in Dang Trong, the capital of the Tay Son dynasty, and then the capital of the unified nation under 13 Nguyen kings. Therefore, when talking about Hue, people immediately think of citadels, golden palaces, splendid temples and shrines, majestic mausoleums, ancient and quiet temples, natural wonders skillfully carved by the gods... The ancient capital of Hue today still preserves almost intact tangible and intangible cultural heritages containing many values ​​symbolizing the intelligence and soul of the Vietnamese people. The most typical is the Complex of Hue Monuments, which has been compared to the thousand-year-old wonders of humanity in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, and was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage on December 11, 1993. These are the Hue Citadel, the Hue Imperial City, and the Hue Forbidden City, three citadels nested together and arranged symmetrically on a vertical axis running from the South to the North. The citadel system here is a model of a harmonious and smooth combination of the quintessence of Eastern and Western architecture; set in a magnificent natural setting with many naturally available symbolic elements to the point that people naturally consider them as parts of the Hue Citadel - that is Ngu Binh Mountain, Huong Giang River, and Gia Vien Islet. Located in the heart of Hue, on the North bank of the Huong River flowing from West to East is an architectural system representing the authority of the centralized Nguyen regime. The three citadels - the Citadel, the Imperial City, and the Forbidden City - nested together and arranged symmetrically on a vertical axis running from the South to the North. These works are a harmonious combination of the quintessence of Eastern and Western architecture, set in a natural setting with Ngu Binh mountain, Huong Giang river, Gia Vien sandbank, Boc Thanh sandbank, in a strange harmony.

The Hue Citadel Flagpole is an architectural relic of the Nguyen Dynasty, located in the middle of the southern side of the Hue Citadel. (Source: Vietnam+)

Running through the three citadels is the Divine Road, with the most important architectural works of Hue Citadel including Nghinh Luong Dinh, Phu Van Lau, Ky Dai, Ngo Mon, Thai Hoa Palace, Can Chanh Palace, Can Thanh Palace, Khon Thai Palace, Kien Trung Tower. On both sides of this Divine Road are hundreds of large and small architectural works arranged in a balanced and regular manner, blending with the natural landscape. Along both banks of the Huong River are the tombs of kings Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc... with typical Vietnamese architecture. Each tomb has a different style, depending on the personality of each king, creating a rich and diverse picture. The ancient capital of Hue is also the land of famous royal gardens such as Ngu Vien, Thu Quang, Thuong Mau, Truong Ninh, Thieu Phuong... And the architecture of the royal gardens has gradually influenced and spread to the gardens of the people, creating a unique garden house architecture of the ancient capital.

The architectural works in the ancient capital seem to blend into nature, creating magical rhythms. (Source: Vietnam+)

Built according to the laws of "dinh ly" and "feng shui", Hue garden houses are a collection of architectural systems arranged in the North-South direction. Although they are different in size, each house has the same overall architecture, including: gate, alley, screen, rockery, dry pond, yard, and house on stilts. Some garden houses are still intact today, typically An Hien garden house, Princess Ngoc Son garden house, Lac Tinh garden house, and Y Thao garden house. As the capital of the last feudal dynasty in Vietnamese history, festivals and music in this capital region also developed extremely richly and were imbued with national style. The royal court had the Giao ceremony, Xa Tac ceremony, Nguyen Dan ceremony, Doan Duong ceremony, Van Tho ceremony, Dai Trieu ceremony, Thuong Trieu ceremony, Ban Soc ceremony, Truyen Lo ceremony, and Duyet Binh ceremony. Folklore also has a variety of festivals: Hon Chen Temple Festival, Cau Ngu Festival, Sinh Wrestling Festival, Boat Racing Festival, Communal House Festival, Pagoda Festival, Temple Festival... Associated with these festivals are various forms of folk ritual music. Regarding music, Royal Court Music - an elegant, sacred music genre often performed during the solemn ceremonies of the royal court - was developed to its peak in Hue under the Nguyen Dynasty. According to UNESCO's assessment, among the traditional music genres in Vietnam, Royal Music has reached national stature.

Re-enactment of the Nguyen Dynasty Ban Soc Ceremony at Ngo Mon Gate, Hue. (Photo: Tuong Vi/VNA)

Coexisting with the ceremonial music, the entertainment music of Hue is also known to the world as a typical example of a cultural region with its own identity, pure and rustic, unique and unmixed. These are Hue dances, Hue plays, Hue songs that today have become indispensable spiritual dishes in a tour of the ancient capital of tourists from all over the world. Up to now, the ancient capital of Hue owns 7 heritages recognized by UNESCO as world heritages and regional heritages, including 5 heritages of Hue alone including the Complex of Hue Monuments (1993), Vietnamese Royal Music - Nha Nhac (2003), Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks (2009), Nguyen Dynasty Records (2014), Poetry on Hue Royal Architecture (2016); and 2 shared heritages with other localities: Practice of worshipping the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces (2016), Central Vietnam's Bai Choi Art (2017). In addition, the whole province currently has nearly 1,000 relics, including 3 special national relics, 88 national relics and 90 provincial relics. It is no coincidence that many researchers on Hue culture have commented that Hue is a masterpiece poem of urban architecture, an exclusive city that holds priceless treasures, a unique and strange museum of the material and spiritual culture of Vietnam. In recent years, Hue city has built many attractive programs to effectively exploit heritage, creating many new experiences for the "smokeless industry." In 2025, Hue is expected to develop a variety of service types with advantages and high added value; mobilize investment resources for tourism development; At the same time, promote the image and affirm the brand "Hue - Ancient capital, new experiences," "Hue - destination of 8 world heritages," "Hue - Capital of festivals," "Hue - Capital of cuisine " and "Hue - Capital of ao dai." The city also plans to expand the development of heritage tourism associated with the Complex of Hue Monuments; promote the socialization of products and services at the Imperial City and relic sites in the area./. Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/co-do-hue-vung-dat-cua-nhung-di-san-van-hoa-vo-gia-post1002805.vnp