Dong Khanh Tomb in Hue

The construction of Dong Khanh tomb met with many obstacles. It prolonged over 35 years and 4 kings, which saw a mix of influence in the tomb’s architecture. 

Location and history

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The tomb was situated near Cu Si Hamlet, now Thuong Hai Village, Thuy Xuan Commune, Hue City. It’s only 5km from the city center. The construction of Dong Khanh Tomb met with many obstacles, prolonged over 35 years and 4 kings.

Also an adopted son of King Tu Duc, King Dong Khanh was sworn to throne by the French colonists. After being crowned, he ordered to build a temple called Truy Tu Temple inside the tomb of his father – Kien Thai Vuong. Since he didn’t expect himself to pass away at the age of 25 (3 years after taking power), he did not plan for his tomb. When King Thanh Thai continued the kingship, the country was at an unstable phase of development thus King Dong Khanh also was worshipped in Truy Tu Temple, which was then renamed as Ngung Hy Temple. His corpse was buried simply on a hill named "Ho Thuan Son", 30m to the west of Ngung Hy Temple. The whole tomb area was called Tu Lang. The building process had to be halted many times and most of the construction work was only completed under the reign of Khai Dinh – Dong Khanh’s son, in 1917.

What to see

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The complicated history of building resulted in a mix of influence in this monument’s architecture. One of the most notable sites in the complex is Ngung Hy Temple - a twin mansion typical of Hue Citadel but backed by a third house, which makes it into a triplet complex. The temple is well-equipped with typical royal furniture and calligraphy. Besides the traditional aspects, Ngung Hy also opened up to a new era of arts inspired by both Western and Eastern traits. Remarkably, there were 24 drawings illustrating the Chinese story named “Nhi thap tu hieu” - 24 examples of filial sons and daughters.

On the contrary, the tomb area’s design was almost influenced by Western style, from its architectural peculiarities or decorative models to the building materials. The Stele Pavilion was constructed with cement, tile bricks and bricks instead of stone.

How to get there

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The tomb opens all year round from 7.30Am to 5.00PM. It’s about 200m from Tu Duc Tomb and tourists can get there easily by bike, taxi or motorbike.

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Minh Mang tomb in Hue

Touted as the most majestic of all royal tombs, Minh Mang Tomb is a complex of 40 sites.

Location and history

Minh Mang Tomb is in Huong Tho Commune, Huong Tra District, on the west bank of Perfume River and about 12km south of Hue City center. This place is where 2 tributaries join to form the picturesque Perfume River.

The tomb was started constructing in 1840 under the order of King Minh Mang. After his death in 1841, King Thieu Tri continued the task, according to his father’s plan. The monument was finally completed 2 years later.

Architecture

Touted as the most majestic of all Nguyen Dynasty royal tombs, Minh Mang Tomb is a complex of 40 constructions: palaces, temples, pavilions, etc. Many said that it’s a perfect combination of manmade and natural beauty of Hue, where architecture fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape.

It’s designed as a symmetric axis (called Than Dao) running from the Great Red Gate to the foot of the Surrounding Wall behind the King’s tomb. Apart from this gate at the center, there are 2 other gates: the Left Rad Gate and the Right Red Gate, which led to the Honour Courtyard – where two rows of mandarins, elephants and horse’s stone statues are standing. At the other side of the 3 gates, on Mount Phung Than is the square Stele Pavilion, where the stele “Thanh Duc Than Cong” inscribed with the King’s biography and merits written by his son, is placed. Sung An Temple, where King Minh Mang and his wife are worshipped, can be accessed through Hien Duc Gate. There are 3 stones bridges on the other side of this temple, with the marble one reserved only for the king. Finally, the Hoang Trach Gate heads to the Minh Lau Pavilion. It is placed on top of three terraces representing heaven, earth and water. Closer to the tomb area, the New Moon Lake (Ho Tan Nguyet) is crescent-shaped and embraces the circular wall surrounding the grave (Buu Thanh)

Looking from afar, the complex looks like a human being with the hill as his pillow and his hands and feet reaching to the river. From the front gate to the back door is almost 700m. The fence is high but does not block the view to mountains and Cam Ke Hill nearby.

How to get there

Although travelling by car or motorbike is easy and convenient today thanks to the construction of Tuan Bridge, it’s not a bad choice to take a boat trip from Hue to visit this tomb, in addition to Thien Mu Pagoda and Hon Chen Temple. Tourists should deal with the boat-owners before going. The price ranges, depending on the number of sites and the distance, but normally it’s very reasonable.

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