Imperial Citadel in Hue (Imperial City): An Honest Review & Practical Visit Guide

Description and Is It Worth Visiting

Imperial Citadel - the main location in Hue

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Imperial Citadel in Hue (Imperial City, Vietnamese: Kinh Thành Huế) — is a monumental fortress, the former residence of the Vietnamese emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty and the main attraction not only of the city but of the entire central Vietnam. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the citadel is a real "city within a city": behind massive walls and a moat lie palaces, temples, pavilions, and gardens. Visiting this open-air museum is a must-do for any traveler. In this detailed guide, we've gathered all our personal experience after two visits to the Citadel: from choosing tickets and visiting tips to a detailed route through the most impressive corners of the Forbidden Purple City.

The Citadel is not an ancient attraction; its construction began in 1804 by Emperor Gia Long. However, despite its modest age, the citadel has experienced many historical events, including being very seriously damaged. Restoration work is constantly being carried out here, and access to new palaces and halls on its territory is opened every year.

The Citadel truly represents a city within a city. The entire fortress is surrounded by a moat and walls 2 meters thick and measuring 2 by 2 kilometers. Moreover, the total length of the walls including bends is 10 kilometers. Today, inside the citadel there are houses of local residents, markets, museums, restaurants - in general, life in the fortress today flows its own course.

But daily life has not penetrated into a separate part of the citadel - the Royal Palace (Hoang Thanh). This is another city within a city within a city, and this is the historical part or open-air museum that is visited as the central tourist attraction of Hue with tickets. Vehicle traffic, except for special tourist electric vehicles, is prohibited here, so you should stock up on time and energy, because a full inspection of the palace will take at least half a day. Together with the tickets, you will receive a mini-guide map marking the most interesting places on the territory.

The Royal Palace territory includes at least the following main attractions:

• Ngo Mon Gate (main south entrance gate to the palace). The gates themselves are very beautiful, and you can also go up to the second level and look at the palace from above.
• Thai Hoa Palace (also Palace of Supreme Harmony or Dien Thai Hoa, imperial coronation hall). In this palace, the emperor received official guests. This palace is in excellent condition, but photography inside is prohibited.
• Forbidden Purple City. This palace was located immediately behind Thai Hoa Palace. Unfortunately, almost nothing remains of it except a field with piles of stones, but it is gradually being restored and objects are being opened for visiting.
• Hung Mieu Temple. A well-preserved beautiful temple built in honor of the emperor's parents.
• Dien Tho Residence. This is an excellently preserved palace, surrounded by a separate fence, entry to its territory is through beautiful gates. The palace was intended for the king's mother.
• The Mieu Temple (temple of generations). This temple is dedicated to the ten emperors of the Vietnamese Nguyen Dynasty, for which altars are installed in honor of each of them. The temple is in excellent condition.
• Hien Lam Pavilion. This pavilion was built in 1842 by order of Emperor Minh Mang in honor of those people who helped the imperial dynasty. This is the tallest building in the citadel.
• Kien Trung Palace. This magnificent palace was built by King Khai Dinh in 1921–1923. Restoration was completed here in 2024, and currently this is the most beautiful palace in the Citadel. Inside there is an exhibition of items from the imperial family.

These objects are the most important to pay attention to first, but this is far from a complete list. Arm yourself with a map and navigator, and go for an intriguing walk through this monumental complex, after which you will be left with not only impressions but also hundreds of beautiful photos.

How to Visit the Imperial Citadel: Practical Information and What You Need to Know

Here are the most important points you need to know before visiting:

• Tickets can be purchased online on the trip.com website (accepts Russian cards), or at the ticket counters for cash.
• We advise buying a combined ticket for visiting the Citadel and Royal Tombs (2 to choose from or all 3) right away, as it's cheaper. Such a ticket is valid for 2 days from the start of use, i.e., for example, today you can visit the Imperial City, and tomorrow see the tombs.
• A quick visit will take at least 2 hours, a full tour with an audio guide or live guide can take up to 4 hours.
• If you have limited time and don't know what to see here, then go straight to Thai Hoa Palace and Kien Trung Palace. You can easily find them on the map. In our opinion, these are the most impressive buildings in the Citadel, and inside them there is a museum exhibition.
• The complex can only be explored on foot; bicycles and scooters are prohibited.
• You'll have to walk a lot, so wear comfortable but light summer shoes, ideally sports sandals. It will be very hot in sneakers or shoes, and uncomfortable in beach flip-flops.
• Although there is no strict dress code for visiting, we still urge you to dress modestly: short skirts, shorts, bare shoulders, overly revealing clothing are not welcome.
• To avoid crowds and take beautiful photos without people, choose early morning (at opening time) and weekdays.
• Most of the visit takes place outdoors, so sun protection (hat, sunscreen), as well as a raincoat or umbrella during the rainy season just in case, won't hurt.
• Bring water with you. You can buy it inside, but it's twice as expensive.
• Don't forget to take a photo in front of the Phu Van Lau Pavilion before entering the citadel, which can be seen on the 50,000 dong banknote.
• In the Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theater pavilion, you can watch a dance show. It is held at 10:00 and 15:00, but only when at least 10 tickets are sold at the nearby ticket counter, so its performance is not guaranteed.
• In the morning from 09:00 to 09:30 at the main gate, you can see the changing of the guard ceremony.