Danang/Hue/HoiAn 2025 - Hue Day Tour Hue Citadel and Imperial City (3/8)

The very Vietnamese style gate at the Hue Imperial City. It looked almost Chinese, yet uniquely Vietnamese. A marker to divide the different section of the palace ground as you enter from one section to another. The vibrant colours of yellow and blue a permanent feature on the gates, which I wonder why. In China, usually the colour yellow represent royalty, but what about blue? Does blue represent the heavens? 

Another gate, or perhaps the same one but from a different side. The wordings on top of the gate is always different. The first gate above has the word 'moon' on it, while this second one has the word "sun" on it. Told you it was related to the heavens!

 

Inside the older palace area, there was a section with red doors and red walls, and adorned with gol pains in the design. It looked rich and luxurious, yet very Chinese. Many tourist walked through this room and hall slowly to admire the decorations so there's a sort of bottleneck when you reached this part. 

Hue is part of a UNESCO site, so they do try to maintain the heritage buildings as much as possible. 

But overall, everything is rather casual. There are exhibition and photos displayed at the courtyard. Someone probably have to move them in and out daily depending on the weather. It wasn't a permanent fixture. 

The other corridors looked like like any old house or temple, bare, and without much information. It was very much an empty space, perhaps not significant enough to do much about it.

The lanterns that hung on the ceilings were ancient as well, like those found in ancient China with elaborated motives and decorations. I bet they looked pretty when it's lighted up at night. I wonder if the palace ground is opened to the public at night. Perhaps on special occasions?

In a country where the city and roads are often jammed packed with young Vietnamese, it was such a peaceful experience to be here in Hue with it's wide spaces and greeneries and very European architecture as you will soon see as we reached the big house, Vietnam's very own Forbidden City Palace.