Read this blog: The one where Robert’s navigations skills are affected by the heat Thursday 14th and Friday 15th March 2024 Having deposited our luggage at the hotel we walked to perhaps the most important historical site in the city: the Citadel or Kinh thành. This was the imperial capital of Vietnam during the rule of the Nguyễn Dynasty between 1802 and 1945. Work started in 1803 at the behest of Emperor Gia Long. This is urban planning at its most regal: not the slow organic growth of a town but a complete capital city with fortifications all at once. The 10 km long outer walls enclosed palaces for the imperial household, shrines as well as gardens and villas for the mandarins – the educated administrative class. The moat is fed with water from the Hương River also known as the Perfume River via a system of sluice gates. We entered through Cua Ngo Mon [Noon Gate or Meridian Gate] which was built by emperor Gia Long‘s successor Minh Mang. Even though Minh Mang announced the completion of the Kinh Thành citadel in 1832 he swiftly embarked on his own improvements and he had the impressive U-shaped Ngu Phung [Five Phoenixes] […]
Daily Archives: 19/03/2024
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