{"id":5190,"date":"2016-11-29T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=5190"},"modified":"2016-11-28T19:30:17","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T00:30:17","slug":"touring-the-tombs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=5190","title":{"rendered":"Touring the Tombs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2016 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved<\/em><\/p>\n

Group tours? \u00a0No, I don’t usually care for them…but, to see the Royal Tombs located outside of Hue, it was going to be a necessity.<\/p>\n

Collected\u00a0early after a plentiful breakfast, I was transported to the riverfront, not far from my hotel. \u00a0When I had booked my tour the day before,\u00a0I had not realized that we would be traveling by dragon boat on the Perfume River. \u00a0Score! \u00a0I had seen these boats in the river the day before and thought they were fascinating, so despite my distaste for group tours, I was suddenly very exciting for having booked one.<\/p>\n

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After setting out on the river, the scenery was interesting…many fishermen and other boat traffic…and before long, we were sidling up to the riverbank. \u00a0Walking across the roadway, we entered the grounds of the An Hien Garden House.<\/p>\n

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The An Hien Garden House, built in 1885, is one of many in the city that were built for mandarins and royal relatives.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"After entering the premises\u00a0and walking down the pathway lined with apricot trees, we encountered a wall. \u00a0It was interesting to note that this wall was placed here to keep evil spirits away as they can only travel in straight lines. \u00a0If, by some chance, the spirit was able to navigate around the wall, they would encounter the reflecting pond directly in front of the house. \u00a0Since spirits do not have a reflection, this was the second line of defense for the house.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"The garden house, was designed in the traditional Vietnamese style, in an almost total square with an area of about 135 meters. \u00a0We were able to take a seat, have tea and enjoy\u00a0the beautiful woodwork and the family altar which is its centerpiece. \u00a0There are also many precious relics of the Nguyen dynasty, including four horizontal lacquered boards with the words, “Van Vo Trung Hieu” (literature, military, loyal and pious), gifted by King Bao Dai in 1937, hanging in the middle room. \u00a0Looking out of the open doors that line the front of the house onto the reflecting pond and the multitude of colorful, fragrant flowers, your feeling is one of peace.<\/p>\n

\"image\"Our next stop, after re-boarding our dragon boat, was one that I was familiar with, Thien Mu Pagoda. \u00a0One thing different from the day before, however, was that our guide gave us much information on the history of the pagoda and pointed out many items of interest, including the pavilion to the right of the tower which contains a stele (1715) set on the back of a massive marble turtle and the precious antiques in the main hall…bronze gong (cast in 1677) and wooden gilded boards with Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu’s inscriptions (1714). \u00a0Another unusual item is an Austin car in which, monk Thich Quang Duc was driven to his death in Saigon in 1963.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"After our guide’s speech was complete, I decided that I would walk around the property and rephotograph everything since the day was much brighter than the\u00a0previous one. \u00a0After revisiting the main hall, I walked around the back of the structure and much to my surprise, realized that there was so much more to see. \u00a0With the rainfall the day before and my haste to meet my driver in time, I must have not realized that the grounds extended far beyond.\u00a0 So…maybe coming back on the tour was not such a bad thing!<\/p>\n

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\"image\"We boarded the boat again and were served a nice lunch while continuing our cruise. \u00a0Our next destination was a small, old pagoda, although I never caught the name. \u00a0A rather quaint place, built onto the steep rocky banks of the Perfume,\u00a0it was an interesting stop and had some very old relics inside of the temple.<\/p>\n

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After crossing the river, it was time to say goodbye to our dragon boat. \u00a0Boarding a tour bus, we then made our way to what I had most wanted to see, the Royal Tombs.<\/p>\n

\"image\"The first tomb on our tour was Minh Mang, about 12 kilometers from Hue. Construction on the tomb began in September 1840, however, only four months into the project, Minh Mang became sick and passed away. \u00a0His successor to the throne, Emperor Thieu Tri, continued construction and Minh Mang’s corpse was buried in Buu Thanh in August of 1841. \u00a0The tomb was completed in 1843.<\/p>\n

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The complex consists of forty palaces, temples and pavilions\u00a0and the entrance is through the main gate, Dai Hong Mon, which was opened only once to bring the Emperor’s coffin to the tomb. \u00a0Visitors now use the two side gates, Ta Hong Mon and Huu Hong Mon.<\/p>\n

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Behind the main gate is the Honor Courtyard which houses the two rows of mandarins, elephants and horse statues.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"Moving along into the temple area, we found the Salutation Court, however, rain decided to hamper our progress as the skies opened up. \u00a0We ducked in to the Sung An Temple after passing through the Hien Duc Mon gate. \u00a0This temple is where the Emperor and Queen Ta Thien Nhan are worshiped and is flanked by Ta, Huu Phoi Dien (Left, Right Temples) in the front and Ta, Huu Tung Phong (Left, Right Rooms) in the back.<\/p>\n

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Continuing on through the Hoang Trach Mon gate, we encountered the Bright Pavilion. \u00a0Behind this pavilion are two flower gardens which lead to the tomb area and the crescent lake. \u00a0Thirty three steps are ascended to reach the sepulcher of the Emperor.<\/p>\n

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Leaving Minh Mang, we then headed to the Royal Tomb of Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh and from the very moment I set my eyes on this place, I was enthralled. \u00a0Looking up at the steep steps leading up to the building, the sense is one of grandeur and it took my breath away. \u00a0I couldn’t climb the steps fast enough to see what lay at the top.<\/p>\n

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The twelfth king of the Nguyen dynasty, Emperor\u00a0Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh came to power in 1916 and was very closely tied to\u00a0the French government. \u00a0Because of this, he was very unpopular with the Vietnamese people.<\/p>\n

The last king to commence construction of his own tomb, work began in\u00a01920 with the conclusion\u00a0in 1931 by his successor, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i,. \u00a0Because he was so influenced by the French, his desire was to have a tomb influenced by their architectural styles.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"One thing to notice when visiting\u00a0Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh’s tomb is that it is much smaller than the tombs of his predecessors, however, undeniably more elaborate. \u00a0The rectangular structure of the tomb leans against Chau Chu Mountain and is flanked by the largest sculptures of dragons in all of Vietnam. \u00a0The tomb features an imperial audience court and twelve stone statues representing bodyguards. \u00a0The interior boasts intricately designed glass and porcelain decorations on the walls and the ceiling is decorated with nine complex dragons. \u00a0The rear room of the palace houses a temple containing the Emperor’s grave, an altar dedicated to him and a statue of his likeness, created in Marseilles.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"Our next stop was a roadside village where locals make sandalwood and cinnamon incense and traditional Hue conical hats. \u00a0Colorful stalks of incense are bunched together, hanging on the walls, displayed in bins and some pieces are lit leaving a pleasant aroma in the air. \u00a0Local women demonstrate the process for making the incense which is\u00a0used in temples throughout Vietnam.<\/p>\n

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Eight kilometers from Hue, Tu Doc, was the final tomb that we were to visit that day. \u00a0Encompassing the largest surface area, it is divided into two main parts, the temple area and the tomb area. \u00a0Fifty constructions were built on terraces of various levels and all contain the word Khiem (Modesty) in their names. \u00a0Construction started in 1864 and was completed in 1867.<\/p>\n

\"image\"After passing through the main gate, you notice to your right, the beautiful landscape and Luu Khiem lake. \u00a0 Located on the lake are Xung Khiem and Du Khiem Pavilions where the Emperor would frequent to admire flowers, compose poems and read books. \u00a0We could hear music floating across the lake and noticed that a cultural performance was taking place. \u00a0No time to stop, we continued on to the Hoa Khiem Palace (the Emperor’s working place) which is now the altar devoted to the Emperor and the Queen. \u00a0Flanking both sides of the Palace are Phap Khiem House and Le Khiem House which were for the military and civil mandarins.<\/p>\n

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\"image\"To the rear of Hoa Khiem Palace is Luong Khiem Palace (the Emperor’s resting place), which was later used to worship the Emperor’s mother. \u00a0The the left of the Palace is the Minh Khiem theater and Chi Khiem, the altar to worship the Emperor’s wives and Tri Khiem and Y Khiem Palaces, which were the accommodations of the Emperor’s concubines.<\/p>\n

Continuing on, we encountered the tomb area. \u00a0The necropolis is to the left of the temple and behind the Honor Courtyard, are two rows of magnificent military and civil mandarins. \u00a0On the hill, opposite the Tieu Khiem Tri lake is the Buu Thanh brick wall. \u00a0In the middle is a stone house where the Emperor is buried.<\/p>\n

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Definitely the most peaceful and picturesque of all the Royal tombs, I wished that I had had more time to wander and explore all that there was to offer.<\/p>\n

<\/u>Boarding the bus for the last time, we made our way back to the center of Hue. \u00a0Most certainly a long day, it was worth seeing all that there was to offer in the former national capital.<\/p>\n

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