The most anticipated World Heritage, a guide to exploring the relics around the Imperial City of Hue

Hue, from the 17th century to the 1940s, was successively the capital of the old Nguyen, Tay Son Nguyen, and new Nguyen feudal dynasties of Vietnam, and is a famous ancient capital of three dynasties. The Perfume River flows through the city, and what seems to be an inconspicuous small city, the surviving Imperial City and the grand royal tombs by the river reveal its illustrious history as the former capital of the three Vietnamese dynasties. Unlike other Confucian society countries, the Nguyen dynasty of Vietnam at that time was an independent dynasty recognized by the Qing dynasty, so the Imperial City of Hue could use a large amount of golden yellow glazed tiles for the roofs without any restrictions, and subtly conveyed its unique status to people through the names of 'Dai Noi', 'Imperial City', and others. The Imperial City of Hue, as the World Heritage site I most look forward to in Vietnam, is naturally the highlight of this trip. In addition to spending a whole day visiting the inside of the Imperial City, I also strolled around the periphery of the Imperial City twice, once during the day, riding a motorcycle around the inner city, and stopping by the outer city to check in at the corner towers; once at night, walking to the Meridian Gate outside the Imperial City, experiencing the Hue under the colorful lights. ✅ Tien Mu Gate: Crossing the moat and passing through the Tien Mu Gate, you enter the outer city of the Imperial City of Hue. The Tien Mu Gate is somewhat similar to the Tiananmen Gate, only allowing entry and not exit, but it is much smaller in size and not located on the central axis of the Imperial City. However, this Tien Mu Gate is very photogenic, especially when a large number of motorcycles pass through the ancient city gate, creating a magical sense of traveling through time. ✅ Nine Dynastic Urns: After entering the backyard of the Tien Mu Gate, you can see nine large cannons, known as the Nine Dynastic Urns. Each brass cannon is five meters long and weighs about ten tons. The four cannons on the right symbolize the four seasons, while the five on the left represent metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. ✅ Flag Tower: Unlike the Forbidden City in Beijing, there is a huge flag tower at the outer city of the central axis of the Imperial City of Hue. This flag tower was built in the early 19th century and was originally used for hanging flags during celebrations. It is said that the flagpole was originally made of wood and broke several times. The current flagpole is made of reinforced concrete, divided into three sections, with a total height of 57 meters. Because the flag tower is directly opposite the Meridian Gate, this is also the best place to take pictures of the Meridian Gate at night. ✅ Meridian Gate: Apart from the mottled city walls, the biggest attraction of the outer perimeter of the Imperial City is the various city gates, of which the most important is the Meridian Gate. The Meridian Gate is the southern main gate to enter the palace, and it does look quite like a scaled-down version of the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, but it is indeed a lot less imposing. However, the smaller size has its own delicacy, such as the Five Phoenix Tower on the upper part, which is indeed very aesthetically pleasing. ✅ Changde Gate/Xianren Gate: The main western and eastern gates of the Imperial City, the exquisite decorative art is completely different from our city gates, especially the application of porcelain, which feels very delicate. ✅ Heping Gate/Sifang Wushi Tower: Heping Gate is the northern gate of the Imperial City, and on the northern platform of the central axis, there is also the Sifang Wushi Tower. The name of the Sifang Wushi Tower is quite meaningful, and it is also one of the tallest buildings in the Imperial City of Hue. ✅ Corner Towers: The corner towers of the Imperial City of Hue are all in the outer city. Although they are also blessed by the moat, there is no reflection, and the dark and severely damaged city towers are not worth fantasizing about like the corner towers of the Forbidden City. However, the small corner towers near the flag tower are quite interesting, feeling like the watchtowers of the Imperial Guards. 🏞 Name | Hue Imperial Palace 🎫 Ticket | 20w Vietnamese Dong ⛳ Address | FH9G+PX2, Lê Huân, Phú Hậu, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam