Pavilion of Edicts (Phu Van Lau)

Location: Pavilion of Edicts is situated right in front of the Flag -Tower and by the National Highway No.1A which crosses Hue City.
Characteristic: It is a delicate pavilion with a south view. In front of the Pavilion is a large court leading to the Nghinh Luong Pavilion (Pavilion for Fresh Air) on the Perfume River bank.

There had once been a tiger – elephant duel on the pavilion grounds in 1829 to entertain Emperor Minh Mang. In his fortieth and fiftieth birthday anniversaries, many entertainments were also held there. These practices were maintained by Emperors Thieu Tri and Tu Duc in their birthday anniversaries. Emperor Thieu Tri listed the Perfume River and the Pavilion of Edicts among 20 most beautiful sights of the capital city of Hue. It was him who ordered in 1843 the construction of a stele house on the right of the pavilion for engraving his poem “Morning Boating on the Perfume River”.

It is the building where Emperor’s edicts and lists of successful candidates of Thi Hoi (National Examination) and Thi Dinh (Court Examinations) were publicized. Though built early in Emperor Gia Long’s reign (1819), it was first decided by Emperor Minh Mang to be the site to publicly display his important edicts.

After having been announced at the Throne Palace or the Ngo Mon, the edict was put in a canopied palanquin and carried by soldiers to the pavilion. On that occasion, the Thua Thien Province mandarins and thousands of local elders crowded to pay homage to the edict. Since 1821, after the Proclamation Ceremony, lists of successful candidates were posted there. In order to enhance the significance, two stone steles were erected on both sides of the pavilion, inscribed with Chinese characters meaning “Tilt Your Hats and Dismount” reminding passers-by to tilt their hats and get off their horses when passing this monument.

The pavilion was destroyed by a typhoon in 1904 and restored later by Emperor Thanh Thai.

Complex of Hue Monuments

The Hue complex is located approximately 100 km northwest of Danang, the largest commercial city in the middle region of Vietnam. The city is divided into old and new sections on either side of the Fon River, extending nearly 4 km in all directions. Although it has high temperatures and humidity (except during the dry season from November to April) with an average annual precipitation of 2,900 mm, the summer is not as oppressively humid as in Japan.
Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam, is a city with a long cultural heritage unparalleled anywhere else in the country.
The northern bank of the Perfume River contains the relics of palaces, constructed as an arc of defensive ramparts 11km in length. This valuable site comprises more than 100 architectural works from the Nguyen dynasty. Situated in the hills o¬n the southern bank of the Perfume River are the beautiful tombs of the Nguyen kings. Four of these tombs are particularly notable as their designs reflect the opinions, personalities and tastes of the emperors they incarcerate. They are the majestic Gia Long tomb, the imposing Minh Mang tomb, the poetic Tu Duc tomb and the magnificent Khai Dinh tomb.
Hue is also an important center of Buddhism. The city and its surrounding area still contain dozens of pagodas constructed more than 300 years ago.
The city is renowned for its traditional dishes and sophisticated handicrafts as well being the place where royal music is originated.
Hue still retains its original layout from the Middle Ages and therefore the whole city is in effect a vast and invaluable museum. The historical sites of Hue have been classified by the Vietnamese government as very precious property and in December 1993 Hue was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
World Heritage Site : The archaeological sites of Hue are the remains of the capital of Nguyen, the last Vietnamese dynasty that was prosperous from the early 19th to the mid 20th century. Although based on an architectural style from China, these structures incorporate both Baroque and traditional Vietnamese architecture. Now recognized for their historical and artistic value, they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1993.

Bach Ma National Park

Bach Ma National Park is located in central Vietnam in the province of Thua Thien Hue, around 700 km south of the country's capital Hanoi and 1,000 km north of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The national park covers an area of about 22,000 ha in the districts of Phu Loc and Nam Dong. It was created in 1991 to protect the centre of the last corridor of forest stretching from the South China Sea to the Annamite mountain range at the border with the Lao PDR. With steep mountains and dense forests, this area is home to a wide variety of animals and plants. At the base of the mountains there is tropical monsoon forest, with sub-tropical forest above 900m. There are species from both northern and southern Vietnam, and Bach Ma is recognized as o¬ne of the areas of Indochina with high biodiversity. Bach Ma mountain peak is the highest point in the park at 1,450 m above sea level and is o¬nly 18 km away from the coast.