The majesty and splendor of Kien Trung Palace

After nearly 5 years of renovation, restoration and embellishment, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024, Kien Trung Palace - a unique palace project that both has the majesty and grandeur of the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace and the breath of the 20th century with touches of Western architecture, was officially completed.

Nét uy nghi, tráng lệ của điện Kiến Trung-Hoàng thành Huế- Ảnh 1. — *Appearance of Kien Trung Palace after nearly 5 years of renovation, restoration and embellishment – Photo: VGP/Le Hoang*

According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, Kien Trung Palace, also known as Kien Trung Tower, was built under King Khai Dinh's reign with the word "Kien" meaning to build, establish, and the word "Trung" meaning upright, unbiased.

According to old documents, at the original location of this building, there were previously two other architectural works, namely Minh Vien Lau, also known as Minh Vien Tower (1827) and Du Cuu Lau, also known as Du Cuu Tower (1913).

Minh Vien Tower was built under the reign of King Minh Mang. This is a large wooden tower with 3 floors, a place for the king to enjoy the scenery and cool off. Minh Vien Tower was once a work of great artistic value, praised by King Thieu Tri as "the first scene in the 20 scenic spots of the Imperial City of Hue". However, this work was dismantled in 1876 under the reign of King Tu Duc because of serious deterioration.

In 1913, the court of King Duy Tan built on the old foundation "another new-style tower, called Du Cuu Tower".

In 1916, King Khai Dinh ascended the throne and renamed Du Cuu Tower to Kien Trung Tower. In 1921, the king imitated the architectural and decorative styles of Europe and Asia to create models according to the aesthetic tastes of the time, along with the advice of a number of French architects, engineers and the Ministry of Public Works, and completely rebuilt Kien Trung Palace. This palace was completed in just 2 years, from 1921 to 1923.

During the reign of King Bao Dai, the palace was renovated and furnished with Western-style amenities and became the residence of King Bao Dai's entire family.

Following the turbulent flow of Vietnamese history after 1945, this palace and many other important architectural works in the Imperial City and the Forbidden City were almost completely destroyed. Kien Trung Palace only has the remains of the foundation below.

After nearly 5 years of renovation, restoration and embellishment, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024, Kien Trung Palace - a unique palace project that both has the majesty and grandeur of the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace and the breath of the 20th century era with impressive touches of Western architecture, officially completed its interior and exterior and was introduced to the public.