Imperial City, Hue

After an overnight train from Hanoi to Hue, I arrived into this historic city in central Vietnam and was greeted by overcast skies and drizzle.  Seattle weather!  Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 and 1945.  During 1802, the Citadel of Hue was constructed. And, as I mentioned in the Hanoi post, it has many features found in Chinese imperial architecture.

The Nguyen's built their Imperial City as a fortress.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.  Chinese style roof?  Check.  Yellow tiled roof check.  Large open hall inside.  Check.

Inside the Imperial City was the Purple Forbidden City (note name...) that was the residence of the imperial family.

Much of the Imperial complex at Hue was destroyed during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War in 1968.  The Vietnamese Communist Party chose NOT to restore the city as it represented the feudal regimes of the past.  However, as you can see here, there has been a great deal of reconstruction in the recent past.

Renovation of the Emperor's Reading Room

One of the many gates in the Imperial city.

There were other sites that I didn't see due to rain and lack of motivation to slog through the complex. I learned in my travels that I am particularly interested in more recent history, such as the Vietnam War. There was a one-day trip to DMZ (about 40km north of Hue) and other sites, but I didn't have time.  I regret not making that time.