Huế

Complex of Hué Monuments
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: iv
Reference	678
Inscription	1993 (17th Session)

Huế^ⓘ (化 in chữ Nôm) is the capital city of Thừa Thiên - Huế province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty. As such, it is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people.

Geography

The city is located in central Vietnam on the banks of the Sông Hương (Hương River), just a few miles inland from the South China Sea. It is about 540 km (335 mi.) south of the national capital of Hanoi and about 644 km (400 mi.) north of Hồ Chí Minh City, the country's largest city formerly known as Saigon.

Sights

On the north side of the river is the Citadel, the centre of the historic city. Most of Huế's important monuments, temples, and pagodas are found in this area. The south side of the river is newer, and contains most of the city's business and residential areas.

Huế's most outstanding attractions are the royal citadel, an imperial city and the emperor's tombs.

Huế's complex of monuments is listed among the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Huế is a very tranquil and marvellous city in the central part of Vietnam. There are many famous people who were born in Huế or had spent some time in this beautiful city. The city is one of the most popular places for tourists in Vietnam.

History

Huế originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguyễn Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17^th to the 19^th century. In 1775 when Trịnh Sa captured it, it was known as Phú Xuân. In 1802, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Huế the national capital.

Huế was the national capital until 1945, when Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and a Communist government was established in Hà Nội (Hanoi), in the north. While Bảo Đại was briefly proclaimed "Head of State" with the help of the returning French colonialists in 1949 (although not with recognition from the Communists and the full acceptance of the Vietnamese people), his new capital was Sài Gòn (Saigon), in the south.

In the Vietnam War, Huế's central position placed it very near the border between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The city was located in the South. In the Tết Offensive of 1968, during the Battle of Hue, the city suffered considerable damage not only to its physical features, but its reputation as well, most of it from American firepower and bombings on the historical buildings as well as the now infamous massacre at Huế. After the war's conclusion, many of the historic features of Huế were neglected, being seen by the victorious regime and some other Vietnamese as a "relics from the feudal regime", but there has since been a change of policy, and some parts of the historic city have been restored.