Danang/Hue/HoiAn 2025 - Hue Day Tour Hue Citadel and Imperial City (6/8)

 

Our guide also took us around to see some of the imperial gardens inside the imperial city. Bonsai seems to be a very popular features of the garden, as well as ponds. I think I saw some of the nicest miniature Bonsai garden in Vietnam on this trip, much more than I did in China although I'm sure China should have a better collection somewhere. 

There were also some rock garden and miniature landscaping around. But on the whole, they were rather small in terms of being a garden, and weren't as well kept or as well defined like a Japanese garden. I would even go as far to say that they were rather messy and outgrown without much landscaping done, almost wild. 

There was a huge emerald looking pond at the side with beautiful gigantic trees around it. The pond was rather bare, but it was still lovely to look at the reflection on the water. You could walk all around the square looking pond. 

There was also a section that looked like a pier where you could walked down to the waters, and a boat was parked there. It looked like royalties form long time back could have come and have a boat ride here admiring the pond. It was simple, and calming without much bells and whistle in terms of decorations. 

I actually love the simple boat that was parked there, It looked very royal to me! And I can imagine young royals enjoying a boat ride on it while their servants powered the boat around the small charming ponds. Perhaps there might even be fishes and lovely water lilies in the past, or huge lotus plant and even birds visiting and playing in the pond.

Can't get enough of this one single boat :P

As we moved on, our tour guide took us past the royal library. Yes, a royal library! I was surprised when I reached it too. Maybe cause the books have all been removed to be protected and housed somewhere else. And it looked more like a reading room instead of a functioning library.

But it was still very nicely decorated, with the main tables and chair almost shining in gold. Surrounding it was perhaps the book shelves that once used to house books. It was simple, and I love the open concept of the walls that let in so much lights and air. I would love to read here. It looked more like a great hall though, without those cosy corners for reading which I'm so used to see in western libraries. This was more like a place where war strategy books are being kept and discussed, instead of somewhere to read about stories and let your mind wander.....

Our group, walking along the lovely corridors o the library as we made our way to another part of the palace.

Some of the courtyards we walked past..... it did felt a bit underwhelming considering that we were visiting a palace lol.

Leaving you here with my selfie with the lovely emerald pond and the cute little boat behind me.