Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 869

VISITING THE ROYAL MAUSOLEUMS
The Nguyens built magnificent royal mausoleums in the valley of the Perfume River among
low, forested hills to the south of Hue. Each one is a unique expression of the monarch's
personality, usually planned in detail during his lifetime to serve as his palace in death. Though
details vary, all the mausoleums consist of three elements: the main temple is dedicated to
the worship of the deceased emperor and his queen, and houses their funeral tablets and
possessions; a large, stone stele records details of his reign, in front of which spreads a paved
courtyard, where ranks of stone mandarins line up to honour their emperor; and the royal
tomb itself is enclosed within a wall.
The contrasting mausoleums of Tu Duc, Khai Dinh and Minh Mang are the most attractive
and well preserved, and are easily accessible, though they can be crowded - particularly Tu
Duc, which is the most popular. Entry to the mausoleums (daily 7am-5.30pm) is 80,000VND
each for the main three; most of the others are free. To get to the mausoleums you can
either rent a bicycle or motorbike, or take a Perfume River boat trip (see box, p.871), which
entails a couple of longish walks or xe om rides; the best way to avoid the crowds, go early in
the morning by xe om ; you can negotiate your custom tour stops with the likes of Café on Thu
Wheels (see opposite). If cycling, take plenty of water and a good map.

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it took eleven (1920-31) to complete his
mausoleum. he approach is via a series of
dragon-ornamented stairways leading
through an imposing gate first to the
Honour Courtyard , watched over by stone
mandarin honour guards, and the
stele-house. Climbing up a further four
terraces brings you to the main Thien Dinh
temple , with a jaw-droppingly splendid
interior, decorated to the hilt in glass and
porcelain mosaic that writhes with
dragons and is peppered with symbolic
references; the ceilings are covered in
dragon murals. A life-size statue of the
emperor holding his sceptre sits under the
canopy, his remains interred 18m under.
Khai Dinh's Mausoleum is 10km from
Hue by road, or a 1.5km walk or xe om
ride from the boat jetty.

series of low mounds bearing all the main
buildings. After the salutation courtyard
and stele-house comes the crumbling
Sung An temple where Minh Mang and
his queen are worshipped. Continuing
west you reach Minh Lau , the elegant,
two-storey “Pavilion of Pure Light”
standing among frangipani trees, symbols
of longevity. A stone bridge leads across
the Tan Nguyet Lake to the gate of the
emperor's sepulchre, opened only on the
anniversary of his death.
You can reach Minh Mang's Mausoleum
from Khai Dinh's by following the road
west for 1.5km and crossing the bridge
over the Perfume River. he entrance is
then 200m away on the other side.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Flights into Hue's Phu Bai Airport, 15km
southeast of the city, are met by an airport bus run by
Vietnam Airlines (70,000VND), which goes to central
hotels, and by metered taxis (about 200,000VND). Going
to the airport, the bus departs from the Vietnam Airlines
branch o ce at 23 Nguyen Van Cu ( T 054 3824709), or
you can arrange a pick-up from your hotel reception.
Destinations Hanoi (3 daily; 2hr); HCMC (8 daily; 1hr 20min).
By bus Hue is one of the stops on the open-tour bus
routes; buses stop at the cluster of travel agents and
hotels along Hung Vuong or the northern end of Le Loi.
Hue Backpackers (see opposite) run a convenient daily
minibus service at 1pm straight to Phong Nha National
Park, stopping at the Vinh Moc tunnels at the DMZ along
the way (500,000VND). Southbound bus services operate
from An Cuu station (sometimes called Phai Nam station),

The Mausoleum of Minh Mang
Court o cials took fourteen years to find
the location for the Mausoleum of Minh
Mang and then only three years to build
it (1841-43), using ten thousand
workmen. Minh Mang, the second
Nguyen emperor (1820-41), was a
capable, authoritarian monarch who was
passionate about architecture, and he
designed his mausoleum along traditional
Chinese lines, in a beautiful wooded
location, with 37 acres of superb
landscaped gardens and plentiful lakes to
reflect the red-roofed pavilions. Inside the
mausoleum, a processional way links the