THUAN AN BEACH

THUAN AN BEACH is situated near THUAN AN MOUNTAIN, where the HUONG RIVER flows to the TAM GIANG LAGOON and then to the sea. In the beginning of the 19th century, MINH MANG named this place THUAN AN when the TRAN HAI frontier post to defend the Capital was built. Tourists are able to reach a beach that is 15 km from Hue by road. Many small boats and junks drift up and down the river on the left of the route. Spread out along the right is houses, temples, pagodas, rice fields, and gardens. THUAN AN is a very enjoyable place for tourist to spend the day after visiting THE CITADEL, mausoleum, pagoda, and Hue scenery. Thuan An is where the people of Hue gather to enjoy fresh air and sea bathing during the summer. Intense activity at the beach lasts from April to September, when the temperature in Hue is extremely hot. Sometimes this area is very crowded and there is not enough room for visitors to camp. Besides sea bathing, tourist are able to visit THE THAI DUONG TEMPLE where GODDESS THAI DUONG is very esteemed by villagers or the temple devoted to the whale, the sacred animal of the local people.

KHAI DINH TOMB

Emperor Khai Dinh (1885-1925) ruled Vietnam for 9 years. His tomb majestically appears from the side of a mountain covered by forest. It took 11 years to complete this tomb. Construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1931. Under Khai Dinh, western culture and influence began to seep into Vietnam. The King himself visited France in 1922. As a result, his tomb has many elements of western architecture. In fact, of all the tombs, khai dinh's probably least resembles oriental architecture.

Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb is built using concrete; its roof with slates and the gate is made of wrought iron. The builder made use of the lighting rod and electricity is used to light the place. Beyond these modern building materials and designs, the tomb had elements of eastern art mixed with western designs.

Throughout the interior of the tomb, colored glass and ceramic chips were used to form mosaics of oriental design. The ceilings were hand painted much like the ceilings of western churches, but the designs were of dragons and clouds. Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb was cited as an example of Vietnamese "neo-classicism". Emperior Khai Dinh is 10 km south of Hue city.

THE CITADEL

The Citadel consists of three cinctures, the moated Citadel (Kinh Thanh), the Imperial Enclosure (Hoang Thanh) and the Forbidden City (Cam Thanh). Constructed in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long, the big outer wall is 6 meters high, 11 kilometers long, with 11 gates and 24 watch-towers. This royal city is surrounded by some protective walls. Three sides of the Citadel are straight, the forth is rounded slightly to follow the curve of the river. The citadel suffered from big damages due to fire in 1945 and war bombardments.

The places of interest inside the Citadel are the flag tower, Ngo Mon Gate (The Noontime Gate), the Courtyard for royal ceremonies, the palace of supreme peace, halls of the mandarins, the memorial temple for Nguyen Kings, nine holy cannons, nine dynastic urns and the Forbidden City for the royal families.