Thien Mu Pagoda

   Built on a hill overlooking the Perfume River, 4km southwest of the Citadel, this pagoda is an icon of Vietnam and as potent a symbol of Hue as the Citadel. The 21m-high octagonal tower, Thap Phuoc Duyen , was constructed under the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri in 1844. Each of its seven storeys is dedicated to a manushi-buddha (a Buddha that appeared in human form). Visit in the morning before tour groups show up.

   Thien Mu Pagoda was originally founded in 1601 by Nguyen Hoang, governor of Thuan Hoa province. Over the centuries its buildings have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Since the 1960s it has been a flashpoint of political demonstrations.

   To the right of the tower is a pavilion containing a stele dating from 1715. It’s set on the back of a massive marble turtle, a symbol of longevity. To the left of the tower is another six-sided pavilion, this one sheltering an enormous bell (1710), weighing 2052kg and audible from 10km away.

   The temple itself is a humble building in the inner courtyard, past the triple-gated entrance where three statues of Buddhist guardians stand at the alert. In the main sanctuary behind the bronze laughing Buddha are three statues: A Di Da, the Buddha of the Past; Thich Ca, the historical Buddha (Sakyamuni); and Di Lac Buddha, the Buddha of the Future.

The Imperial Enclosure  

   The Imperial Enclosure is a citadel-within-a-citadel, housing the emperor’s residence, temples and palaces and the main buildings of state within 6m-high, 2.5km-long walls. What’s left is only a fraction of the original – the enclosure was badly bombed during the French and American wars, and only 20 of its 148 buildings survived. This is a fascinating site easily worth half a day, but poor signage can make navigation a bit difficult. Restoration and reconstruction is ongoing.

   Expect a lot of broken masonry, rubble, cracked tiling and weeds as you work your way around. Nevertheless it's enjoyable as a leisurely stroll and some of the less-visited areas are highly atmospheric. There are little cafes and souvenir stands dotted around.

   It's best to approach the sights starting from Ngo Mon Gate and moving anticlockwise around the enclosure

Tomb of Tu Duc

  This tomb, constructed between 1864 and 1867, is the most popular and impressive of the royal mausoleums. Emperor Tu Duc designed it himself to use before and after his death. The enormous expense of the tomb and the forced labour used in its construction spawned a coup plot that was discovered and suppressed. Tu Duc’s tomb is 5km south of Hue on Van Nien Hill in Duong Xuan Thuong village.

   From the entrance, a path leads to Luu Khiem Lake . The tiny island to the right, Tinh Khiem , is where Tu Duc used to hunt small game. Across the water to the left is Xung Khiem Pavilion , where he would sit with his concubines, composing or reciting poetry. Hoa Khiem Temple is where Tu Duc and his wife, Empress Hoang Le Thien Anh, were worshipped – today it houses royal artefacts. The larger throne was for the empress; Tu Duc was only 153cm tall. Minh Khiem Chamber , to the right behind Hoa Khiem Temple, was originally meant to be a theatre. Dress-up photo opportunities and cultural performances are available here. Directly behind Hoa Khiem Temple is the quieter Luong Khiem Temple , dedicated to Tu Duc’s mother, Tu Du. Around the lakeshore is the Honour Courtyard . You pass between a guard of elephants, horses and diminutive mandarins (even shorter than the emperor) before reaching the Stele Pavilion , which shelters a 20-tonne stone tablet. Tu Duc drafted the inscriptions himself. He freely admitted he'd made mistakes and named his tomb Khiem (‘modest’). The tomb , enclosed by a wall, is on the far side of a tiny lagoon. It’s a drab monument and the emperor was never interred here; where is remains were buried (along with great treasure) is not known. To keep it secret from grave robbers, all 200 servants who buried the king were beheaded. Tu Duc lived a life of imperial luxury and carnal excess (he had 104 wives and countless concubines), though no offspring.

Tomb of Khai Dinh

    This hillside monument is a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements. Most of the tomb’s grandiose exterior is covered in blackened concrete, creating an unexpectedly Gothic air, while the interiors resemble an explosion of colourful mosaic. Khai Dinh was the penultimate emperor of Vietnam, from 1916 to 1925, and widely seen as a puppet of the French. The construction of his flamboyant tomb took 11 years. The tomb of Khai Dinh is 10km from Hue in Chau Chu village.

   Steps lead to the Honour Courtyard where mandarin honour guards have a mixture of Vietnamese and European features. Up three more flights of stairs is the stupendous main building, Thien Dinh . The walls and ceiling are decorated with murals of the Four Seasons, Eight Precious Objects and Eight Fairies. Under a graceless, gold-speckled concrete canopy is a gilt bronze statue of Khai Dinh. His remains are interred 18m below the statue.

Tomb of Minh Mang

   The Tomb is 12km form Hue, on Cam Ke mount, near Bang Lang fork, on the west bank of the Perfume River.In September 1840, the construction of the tomb began. In January 1841, while the work was implemented Minh Mang was sick and passed away.

   Emperor Thieu Tri, his successor to the throne, continue this task according to his father’s plans. Emperor Minh Mang's corpse was buried in Buu Thanh on August 20th of 1841. The construction was fully completed in 1843.

   Minh Mang's tomb is a standard architectural complex consisting of 40 constructions (palaces, temples, pavilions, etc.) designed on an symmetric axis running from Dai Hong gate to the foot of La Thanh (Surrounding Wall) behind the Emperor's tomb.The constructions are distributed into three main parallel axis of which Than Dao path is the centre.

   Dai Hong Mon: It is the main gate to enter the tomb. The gate presents three paths with 24 heaving roofs covered with beautiful decorations. The gate was opened only once to bring the Emperor's coffin to the tomb, and had been tightly closed since then. Visitors have to use the two side-gates Ta Hong Mon (Left Gate) and Huu Hong Mon (Right Gate).

   Bi Dinh: Behind Dai Hong Mon (big gate) is the Honour Courtyard with its two rows of mandarins, elephants and horses’ statues. Bi Dinh (Stele Pavilion) is on Mount Phung Than. Inside is the stele "Thanh Duc Than Cong", inscribed with the Emperor's biography and merits written by his son Thieu Tri.

   The temple area: The Salutation Court is divided into four steps - The Hien Duc Mon (gate) leads to the worship place. In the centre is Sung An Temple surrounded by Ta, Huu Phoi Dien (Left, Right Temples) in the front and Ta, Huu Tung Phong (Left, Right Rooms) in the back. The Emperor and Queen Ta Thien Nhan are worshipped in Sung An Temple. Then, Hoang Trach Mon (gate) leads to the Bright Pavilion (Minh Lau), built on Tam Tai Mount. It is a square pavilion with two storeys and eight roofs. On both sides of Minh Lau, two obelisks stand on the hills. In the back of Minh Lau are two flower gardens designed as the character "Longevity".

   The tomb (Buu Thanh): Tan Nguyet (New Moon) crescent Lake embraces the circular Buu Thanh (The wall surrounding the grave). There are three bridges on Tan Nguyet Lake. Visitors have to climb 33 Thanh stone steps to reach the sepulchre of the Emperor. Besides nearly 60 word boxes of carved poems in the Stele Pavilion, Hien Duc gate, Sung An Temple, and Minh Pavilion are also remarkable and constitute an anthology of chosen poems of Vietnam’s early 19th century.

Visiting Minh Mang’s tomb, one is impressed by the majesty and symmetry of the architectural constructions.

Dong Ba Market

      Dong Ba market is situated along the northern bank of Huong river, Tran Hung Dao, Hue city and it is far about Truong Tien bridge about 100 meters to the North. Dong Ba market is the biggest central market of Thua Thien - Hue province and area.

    Before appearing “Dong Ba” market, there has “qui gia thi” market in the reign of Gia Long. This name marked the day when soldiers of Nguyen dynasty came back. Over 1 decade after, the summer in 1885, “Quy Gia” market was destroyed. Until to 1887, Dong Khanh king rebuilt this market and renamed “Dong Ba” market.  The market supplies goods for palace, traders, soldiers and dormitory of Dong Khan University, Binh Linh University and Thien Huu University. Until to 1899, in the renovation base on western style, Thanh Thai king moved the market to this place.

   There includes 8 compartments in front of market, 12 compartments behind market, and 13 compartments on the right… In the market, people built one stone well. When people want to take water, they must turn round the machine, water will pour.

     At the beginning of 20th century, Dong Ba market was renewed many times. Until to 1967, Sai Gon power destroyed the old market and built new market. The market was not accomplished; bomb of American in 1968 damaged almost the market. After that, Sai Gon authority built to continue trade. In 1987, Dong Ba was renewed.

    Apart from the bell in the centre, Dong Ba market is surrounded by 9 rows of houses along with 4 new areas such as fish market, service market area… with an area of 15.597m.2. Besides, the market manager also manages “Hoa Vien Chuong Duong” area, parking… The average guests come to market approximately from 5.000 to 7.000 persons. On the Tet holiday, there has over 1.200.000 people.

    The cultural juice of Thua Thien-Hue still retains until now, tourists can find in Dong Ba market such as: Phu Cam conical hat, Song Hy “Me xung”, Che Tuan, dried lotus…and traditional dishes in Hue like: com hen, bun bo, banh la, cha tom, banh khoai, che dau van… Dong Ba market becomes the centre which provides raw materials for restaurants, hotels. Tourists from around the world come here overwhelming before beautiful landscapes in Hue. 

   Today, Dong Ba plays the important role in the economy. Not only provide goods for city but also creates jobs for unemployment and contributes over 10 billion Vietnam dong of tax into national budget. Dong Ba Market, Truong Tien Bridge as well as Huong River are the symbols of poetic Hue.