A listed World Heritage Site, Imperial City (aka the Purple Forbidden City) stands as a testimony to the power and wealth of the last imperial Vietnamese dynasty. Situated on a riverbank, the complex features the remains of an imperial palace, Buddhist temples and pagodas, tombs of Nguyen Kings, courtyards, and gardens. It is encircled by a moat and two rows of fortification walls. Over the years following the demise of Vietnamese monarchy, the site was significantly ruined by cyclones and termites. However, it suffered the severest damage during the Vietnam War--look for the holes in the stone walls made by bullets and grenades. The highlights include a flag tower and 10 lavishly ornamented gates. Using our world travel planner, Hue attractions like Imperial City can form part of a personalized travel itinerary.
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Imperial City reviews
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Hearth of Hue city. Large palace area where the rulers lived for centuries. Site consist of several palaces, temples and building for servants. Now it serves as museum with many interesting...
Hearth of Hue city. Large palace area where the rulers lived for centuries. Site consist of several palaces, temples and building for servants. Now it serves as museum with many interesting... more »
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Very interesting historical site.. We have visited three times over the years to check the progress of the restoration. Great to see big changes every time.
Very interesting historical site.. We have visited three times over the years to check the progress of the restoration. Great to see big changes every time. more »
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Would definitely recommend a visit here. Lots of beautiful temples and gardens to see and take pictures of. Lots of history to learn while walking around. The tour offers an audio set before entering as well which is useful when walking around the grounds. You can spend the whole day walking around because it’s so big !
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The Citadel is a very beautiful place to visit and was much larger than expected. My group spent two hours there and didn’t see all of it. Unfortunately one of the main buildings was closed due to restoration but there was still plenty to see. There is an arts and crafts shop which was lovely and we had the opportunity to make some incense. They also run workshops there and would recommend checking it out.
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