Hue - "A masterpiece of urban poetry"

Hue is one of places, which has many cultural heritages. Up to now, there is no place like Hue, where a lot of originally historical vestiges of ancient Capital City has still remained in accordance with the enchanting nature.

Mountain and river; a pair of significant factors representing eternal harmony, was always foremost in the urban planning thoughts of the ancient architects who had constructed the Capital City of Hue. Thanks to this consideration, Hue is now still among very few cities that has survived in the modern society, still dreaming in a deeply poetical nature. Mountains, rivers, lakes and sea collectively contribute to a marvelous panorama that opens a wide vision, as well as encompasses a colorful and illusory picture drawn by nature. This city, having been known for many glorious centuries, is still a precious natural gift for people, and satisfies an irresistible desire of dwellers within modern metropolitan cities.

Nature constantly creates for Hue a comfortable tranquility and shares it with the human spirit. Being different from the past quietness, it is now having an animated inner life with the heroic consonance of mountains, the saltiness of the sea, the reticence of the river, and of fruits and flowers all year round in Hue’s gardens. The nature here is not only a beauty for people to admire, but also the vitality for human beings; it is the eternal poetical inspiration of the former capital city. Iu Murdin, a Russian architect, noted that there are various types of cities in the world, namely cities of workers, cities of science, cities of port, huge and super cities, but, he says, “It is rare to find a city of poem. Fortunately, there is a city of this type in Vietnam. That city is Hue.” 

Outstandingly, a large number of giant architectural works, created by men, are assembled on that immense poetical ground. The architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty is a perfect heritage that would become a national pride of creative talents and community thinking of the Vietnamese in the early 19th century.

What sometimes first surprises the observer is the high scientific level apparent in Hue vestiges; for example, the golden scale observed on the main entrance of the Noon Gate (Ngo Mon). This skill also appears in the perfect hand-made bronze casting technique of the nine Dynastic Urns, in the marble resonant holes at Nam Giao Esplanade, in the decorative artifacts of Phap Lam. Even more skillfully crafted is the matrix arrangement of words that forms many different poems in Long An Temple or the mysterious arrangement of each poetic phrase on the roofs of the Minh Mang Tomb. All these are an intelligent puzzle that was only interpreted just recently. In 1957, a group of Oriental researchers, headed by the French academician Jean Cocteau, noted Hue in the list of “The World Wonders” (Les Merveilles Du Monde, Paris - 1957).

The garden is a unanimous notion which appears in the space surrounding all types of Hue architecture. Examples of this are House Garden, Pagoda Garden, Palace Garden, Tomb Garden, Village Garden and as a whole, Hue is considered a Garden City. This style of nature reflects an old concept of the same origin of three traditional religions in the Vietnamese culture during the Ly - Tran Dynasties; that of human beings and the universe being of the same essence, a long lasting friendship with nature and an ambition to liberate the human spirit. The Tombs of Nguyen Kings are majestic architectures, which try to hide in the quietness of mountains and hills. Each tomb is full of its specific architectural features according to the principle: “Architecture should tell different stories to different people” as in the post-modern architectural concept of Charles Moore. At the same time, the tomb should be a flower garden for the living rather than a nihilistic world for the dead. The luxuriant relaxation in passing from this world to the other world is a humanitarian quality of Nguyen Tombs and simultaneously reflects the gentle manners of Hue people when faced with the unavoidable rule of birth and dead in their life circle.

Hue is also an important center of Buddhism. In Hue and its surrounding still exist tens of pagodas constructed more 300 years ago, and a hundred of temples and pagodas built in the early century.

Besides, Hue is a place where the royal music is originated, and a place with traditional famous dishes and sophisticated handicraft.

As a unique city of Vietnam still remains its form of City under Middle Age and the constructions of monarchic, Hue has become a big and an invaluable museum. Therefore, vestiges in Hue ancient capital have been classified by the government as a very precious property and on December 1993 Hue has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.