Tomb of Khai Dinh

Since Hue owns the glory of once being the capital city of Vietnam, you are unlikely to pass one of its unique characters, the tombs of emperors. Tomb of Khai Dinh distinguishes itself from the common look royal tombs by its intermingling of many architectural trends: European and Asian, as well as ancient and modern, for the emperor was a Francophile.

When Emperor Khai Dinh claimed the throne in 1916, he picked a location 10 km from Hue to construct his mausoleum, which took 11 years to complete and was finished by his son, the last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai. Similar to its contemporary counterparts like the Royal Tomb of King Minh Mang and the Tomb of King Tu Duc, the Tomb of Khai Dinh is much smaller on the surface while pretty elaborate in details: intricate decorations, honor guard of bodyguards, mandarins, elephants, and horses were cast carved out of stone, the tomb is also wired for electricity, a first in Hue tomb design.

The strenuous effort has to be made when you ascend the more-than-a-hundred steps leading to the tomb. So put on comfortable shoes for the climbing. The site definitely is not wheelchair-friendly and is equipped with an elevator. If you fancy an exploration of this site, simply contact us to make it.

Other tourist spots in Hue that you might be interested in are Forbidden Purple City, Thien Mu Pagoda, and Dong Ba Market.