DADSIC13-HUE IMPERIAL CITY

FULL-DAY HUE IMPERIAL CITY

Highlights:

• Journey through Hue’s most prominent tourist attraction, the Citadel which encloses the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple Cityand the Emperor’s Private Residence
• Enjoy a local lunch
• Take a boat trip along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, infamous for the monk who set himself alight in political protest
• Explore an Emperor’s tomb

Itinerary:

Head to Hue, along the North coast of Da Nang to the top of Hai Van Pass where bunkers remaining from the war can be explored. Upon arrival in Hue, we will visit the Citadel, Hue’s prime attraction, which contains the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Emperor’s Private Residence.

Hue Citadel was built from 1804 to 1833 under the Nguyen’s Dynasty (the last feudalist kingdom in Vietnam). The grounds of the Imperial City are protected by 2-kilometer fortified ramparts and ringed by a moat. Inside the Citadel, there are many different construction works such as: Imperial City Gates, Purple Forbidden City, Temples and places of worshipping, pavilions, gardens, etc.

We will have a short break for lunch then take a boat trip on the Perfume River with a stopover at Thien Mu Pagoda, which is an active Buddhist monastery with its origins dating back to 1601. One of its most poignant displays is a car belonging to a former monk, who in 1963, drove to Sai Gon and set himself alight to protest against the South Vietnamese regime and its cruel treatment of Buddhist monks and followers.

We finally visit the serene Khai Dinh Royal Tomb, designed to blend in with its natural surroundings and built on principles of feng-shui.