Vietnam: Hue – Royal Tombs of Tu Doc & Minh Mang

There are seven royal tombs of the Vietnamese emperors scattered along the Perfume River on the outskirts of Hue. Of the seven, the three tombs of emperors Tu Doc, Minh Mang, and Khai Dinh are particularly spectacular. The first two are large sprawling walled compounds with lakes, gardens, and buildings. Tu Doc’s Tomb is the largest (and the emperor was the longest ruling for 35 years), built in 1864-67, the emperor actually moved in and lived in his tomb by the end of his childless life). The Tomb of Minh Mang is laid out in the classical Chinese style with a Forbidden City in the middle with forty structures surrounding it and a central path leading to the tomb. Finally, Tomb of Khai Dinh is the most spectacular and different and this worth a separate post