Gia Long Tomb, the resting place of the first king of the Nguyen Dynasty

Emperor Gia Long, whose real name was Nguyen Phuc Anh, was born in 1762. He was the emperor who founded the Nguyen Dynasty – the last dynasty in the feudal history of Vietnam – ascended the throne in 1802, used the reign name “Gia Long” and ruled the country until his death in 1820. Also under the reign of King Gia Long, the national name Vietnam was officially used for the first time in 1804.

Gia Long Tomb, also known as Thien Tho Tomb, was built from 1814 to 1820. This is a complex of many mausoleums of King Gia Long's royal family. Today, Gia Long Tomb is located in a wild, green mountain area in Huong Long commune, Huong Tra town, Thua Thien Hue province. The entire area consists of 42 hills and mountains, large and small, of which Dai Thien Tho mountain is the largest, located in front of the mausoleum and is the name of this mountain range.

The road to Gia Long tomb passes through a large pine forest. The nature here, the green pine forest, has created a natural border for the tomb area, because Gia Long tomb did not have a citadel built around it like the tombs of other Nguyen kings. Previously, the only means of transportation to get here was by water, by ferry of local people or by large boats going down the Huong River past Thien Mu Pagoda, Hon Chen Temple... Due to the remoteness, very few people visit, Gia Long tomb is always deserted, quiet and degraded. Today, visitors can visit Gia Long tomb by two ways: the pontoon bridge built by local people across Ta Trach river, the second way is the main road running through Tuan bridge, past Minh Mang tomb, continuing through Huu Trach bridge across the river of the same name.

At the end of the pine forest, you will see two giant majestic pillars located at the outermost part of the mausoleum. These pillars were built to signal and remind people to be respectful and not make noise when passing through this area. Originally, there were 85 such pillars surrounding the area, but today, due to the ravages of time, only two remain.

King Gia Long's tomb is located on a flat hill, in front of Dai Thien Tho mountain, behind are seven mountains as the back of the head, on the left and right are 14 mountains called "Ta Thanh Long - Huu Bach Ho". The tomb is divided into three areas.

In the center is the tomb of King Gia Long and the tomb of Queen Thua Thien Cao. This is the most special thing among the tombs of the Nguyen kings, the only one here has both the king and the queen. The reason is because Queen Thua Thien Cao was the wife who "tasted the bitterness and lay on thorns" with the king, always standing by King Gia Long from the time of fleeing, fighting, until ascending the throne... so she was allowed by the king to accompany him after his death. These are two stone tombs placed next to each other, in the form of a stone chamber, buried together according to the concept of "Can Khon hiep duc", a beautiful image of happiness and loyalty. King Gia Long's tomb is on the right side, looking from the outside in, in the middle of the two tombs along the radial axis is Dai Thien Tho mountain. The two stone tombs are only a hand span apart, the same size, without any patterns, carvings, no gilding, over time gradually turning gray-black.

Protecting the outside of the tomb is a solid wall called “Buu Thanh”. There are seven levels of sacrificial courtyards leading up to Buu Thanh.

The bronze gate of Buu Thanh is the place leading to the eternal resting place of the king and queen. This gate is only opened a few times a year, on holidays, death anniversaries, etc. for repair and cleaning.

Below the seven levels of the sacrificial courtyard is the audience courtyard, on both sides are two rows of stone statues of civil and military mandarins standing in attendance, in addition there are also stone statues of war elephants and war horses.

On the left of the mausoleum is Bi Dinh, built in the middle of a pine forest. Bi Dinh is a stele house to record achievements, a familiar architectural work found in most of the tombs of Nguyen Dynasty kings.

In Bi Dinh, there is a stele “Thanh Duc than cong” with delicate carvings, the words are still clear after nearly 200 years. This is the stele that King Minh Mang erected to praise his father King Gia Long.

Bi Dinh covered with familiar glazed tiles under the Nguyen Dynasty. Glazed tiles were the material used to build the Capital, Imperial City, Forbidden City, palaces, mausoleums, etc.

To the right of the mausoleum is the shrine area with Minh Thanh Palace as the center. Minh Thanh Palace is the place to worship and burn incense to pay respect to the emperor and the first queen, Queen Thua Thien Cao.

Three steps leading up to the shrine are made up of four majestic stone dragons holding pearls and balls in their hands.

Minh Thanh Palace used to worship many relics associated with King Gia Long's life of war such as hats, belts, and horse saddles. Minh Thanh means "brilliant perfection", but surprisingly, this palace is very simple, only bearing the mark of time, not elaborate, not painted red and gilded like some palaces in other mausoleums.

Gia Long Tomb is also the mausoleum complex of King Gia Long's royal family, including the tombs of the previous Nguyen Lords, the tombs of Lord Nguyen's wives, the tombs of King Gia Long's mother, the tombs of the king's sister... In addition to the tombs of King Gia Long and the queen, the next most notable and beautiful tomb is Thien Tho Huu Tomb, the burial place of King Gia Long's second wife - Queen Thuan Thien Cao. At this time (July 2020), Thien Tho Huu Tomb is being repaired and preserved... along with a number of other works of Gia Long Tomb.

Queen Thuan Thien Cao's real name was Tran Thi Dang, her honorific title was Thanh To Mau, and her hometown was Thanh Hoa . She and Queen Thua Thien Cao were the two wives who had been with King Gia Long since his humble beginnings. She was the mother who gave birth to King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, who succeeded his father King Gia Long.

In front of the gate of Thien Tho Huu tomb is a vast lotus pond, with a pair of dragons at the foot of the stone steps looking straight at the pair of giant pillars in the distance.

Lotus flowers are densely blooming in front of the mausoleum. Summer is also the best season to visit Gia Long mausoleum and Thien Tho Huu mausoleum. It is both the lotus season and the most beautiful sunset season. Every time the afternoon falls, the entire mausoleum complex, lotus pond, hills, and pine forests appear majestic and magnificent, but also lonely and quiet.

Panoramic view of Gia Thanh Palace, where King Minh Mang’s mother is worshiped, located next to her tomb. Gia Thanh Palace is an architectural work modeled after Minh Thanh Palace, also simple, not elaborate… However, this is the work that is loved by many people, the most harmonious with the landscape of the entire Gia Long Emperor tomb system.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/lang-gia-long-noi-an-nghi-cua-vi-vua-dau-tien-trieu-nguyen-post612466.html