The Hue Imperial Citadel is a very large complex. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and for good reason. On the site map, they provided three routes: the all day route, half day route and two to three hour route. Being trail blazers, we did some of each route. We entered via the south gate and maintained a clockwise direction of travel. This was the recommended direction of travel. At festival and special times, this must be a very busy location so a certain amount of crowd control is needed. Luckily for us the New Years celebrations are over and we never really felt crowded. Within the walls are even more gates and a variety of royal and administrative buildings. It is also known as the forbidden city as it was modeled after the forbidden city in China. There was a theater, garden, a the house of the Emperor's mother, two very long free standing hallways and the last palace built for the last emperor. We also wandered through a garden area with koi ponds of various sizes and finished up at the theater.
Approaching from outside the walls
Over the moat we go
We followed these ladies along the walls
They turned around and smiled at us
The very large flag at the entrance
We were able to see different traditional outfits
Just the right shot!
Entering through the South Gate
Iron Dragon pillars
Grrr says the dragon.
A dragon dog?
The corners are porcelain dragons
Lots of colorful decorative panels
Red lacquer with golden dragons
Only the emperor is allowed dragons with five claws. The aristocracy's dragons can have four claws and the common folks are relegated to three clawed dragons
A grand throne platform
Decorations everywhere
Ivory carvings behind the throne
This red box contained important documents. It reminded me of the red box the Queen of England used for important documents
A very long hall
Dragons are the theme
Many of the royal costumes were illustrated on the walls
From nobles, to guards to the emperor himself
Modified golf carts offer rides to each of the buildings
Another gate on the interior
Build on a grand scale
Many buildings were damaged in the Tet Offensive
Stairs to the top levels
Giant urns cast by the best craftmanship in the1830's
Intricately detailed with 18 designs per urn
Various birds representing strength and community
Each one weighing 2000 to 3000 kg
Considered Vietnamese National Treasures
These were very large, two meters tall
The spaces between buildings accentuate the size of the buildings
Dragon phone booth
Layers of buildings
Great offerings
A little dog
They are very specific about what clothing is allowed, but no enforcement as far as I could see
More signs. This means I could not take pictures on the inside
Unless I had the meta glasses that is
There was a series of mini shrines for various royals
Offerings and a photo or a painting adorned the shrine
Some bigger than the others
It stretched out along the entire length of the building
Very detailed and elaborate
A old and revered tree
Gardens in the back next to another gate
A bit weather worn
The West Gate to the outside
This little guy is eating a leaf
The Emperors mothers teahouse
More dragons as banisters
The Emperors mum!
Tea time
We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the breeze
Carp-a-diem
Not sure what these implements are used for. It looked like strips of old tires attached to poles
The exterior of the Emperors Mothers residence
Inside it was very open
Some of the royal outfits were described
Sitting area
Shoes for sale at the gift shop
Little pagoda in the Koi pond
Rick Shaw
Delicate mother of pearl inlay
The ceilings were very sturdy. They were designed to handle strong storms
More fantastic inlay
The empress could sit down in this palanquin and not be seen while eight men carried her where she needed to go
The imperial doghouse
Many of the older building are in ruins
More photo taking
Costumes galore
The long covered hallways and the palace in the distance
Seriously fine doors
The last palace that was build in the 1920's
More hallways that acted as covered passageways to the various buildings
Love the shutters
A matching long hallway on the other side
A grand palace
So much detail
We met this delightful Korean Lady
Cannons at the entrance
So many dragons
The closer we get the more details we can see. These two girls are taking pictures of each other
Dragons at the entrance
A little area to sit and have tea, that is if you are an emperor
The royal tea set
Hopefully the emperor was not obese
12 men carried the litter
Everything that could be gilded was covered in gold
Some silver too
Very intricate pottery
Exquisite cabinetry
this emperor was heavily influenced by western styles
But he still liked the traditional Vietnamese
So cute!
A nice gazebo
Lots of fish in this pond
More in this Koi pond as well
Feeding time
The figures on the roof look like they are riding in a sleigh
Over the top
The koi pond and another palace in the distance
A phoenix
Another gateway
At the gift shop they had antique pipes and bongs
More pipes, very expensive though. It was 1,500,000 dong for the bronze dragon cigarette holder front left
Multi colored roof decoration
This panel was see through
Lady Leip on the bridge
So pretty
Koi looking for more food
More panels
Bright blue
The next to last gate
Costumes in the theater
Different shows have different costuming
A collection of masks
Here is the theater
Instruments for the band
The door is very detailed
A golden dragon
A mechanized work machine sorts
A detail on the last gate of the citadel. Green bottles were used for part of the design
Off we go to the antiquities museum
This drone shot shows just one corner of the complex
Not the recommended path. The part to the right, outside the walls is in the next post
