King Tu Duc's Tomb in Hue

• Location: Tay Nhat Hamlet, An Cuu Village, Hue 530000, Vietnam
• Opening hours: 8 am - 11:30 am, 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
• Entrance ticket: 100,000 VND

Located in a narrow basin in Van Nien Hill, Duong Xuan Thuong village, 10 km south from Hue City, King Tu Duc tomb is the tomb of the fourth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. In Vietnam, it is called Khiêm Lăng, commonly known as Lăng Tự Đức. Lang Tu Duc was also the most graceful and luxurious imperial tomb in Nguyen Dynasty. Tu Duc Tomb is one of must-see attractions in Hue City tour.

Who is King Tu Duc

Vua Tự Đức (September 22, 1829 - July 19, 1883), also named Nguyễn Dực Tông or Nguyễn Phúc Thì, was the fourth emperor of Nguyen Dynasty and the longest reigning emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. King Tu Duc's reign began in 1848 and ended in 1883. King Tu Duc attached great importance to Confucianism and rejected Catholicism. He enforced a very strict policy against religion in Vietnam.

King Tu Duc was the most knowledgeable emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. Tu Duc compiled three books of poetry anthology, and also personally translated the Chinese classics into a series of words, such as " Tự Đức Thánh Chế Tự Học Giải Nghĩa”. He has written 4,000 Chinese character articles, 100 Chu Nom articles and 600 poems in his lifetime. During the reign of Emperor Tu Duc, France invaded and eroded the territory of Vietnam. Since then, Vietnam has gradually become a French colony. Therefore, the evaluation of Jude is mostly negative.

History of King Tu Duc’s Tomb

Built in 1846-2873, Tu Duc's Tomb is one of the most artistically beautiful architectural projects in vietnam. Moreover, Tu Duc's Tomb was a huge project, used with more than 5,000 craftsmen. It took 22 years to build the mausoleum, which cost a lot of manpower and material resources.

In 1846, King Tu Duc selected the Van Nien Hill in Duong Xuan Thuong village as the address of the palace and recruited a large number of young people to start construction. In 1866, laborers caused riots and rebellion due to overwork. It was originally named Vạn Niên Cơ and then changed into Khiêm Cung after the rebellion. The Khiem Cung was completed in 1873. After the death of King Tu Duc in 1883, the palace was used as the mausoleum of Emperor and renamed Khiêm Lăng.

The King Tu Duc Mausoleum in Hue has suffered extensive destruction, and many small buildings have been destroyed, looking a bit dilapidated. At the beginning of the liberation in 1975, the Nguyen Dynasty architecture was regarded as a feudal symbol. It was not well preserved until the early 1990s. In 1993, Hue joined the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. King Tu Duc tomb is one of the major tourist attractions within the Hue Relics Complex. The Tu Duc Imperial Tomb of Hue was approved as a national park in Vietnam to protect its natural diversity and cultural diversity.

The Layout of King Tu Duc Tomb

The entire King Tu Duc Tomb is like a huge park, the most prominent architectural feature is harmony. The names of the 50 projects in the bedroom palace area and the Mausoleum area have a Chinese word "Qian(谦)". King Tu Duc’s profound knowledge and romantic character was reflected into the creation of his tomb. The mausoleum is guarded by a strong octagonal wall, consisting of parks, temples, palaces, theaters and mausoleums.

After the entrance into King Tu Duc Tomb, about a path ahead, right in front of is Luu Khiem Lake, Tinh Khiem Island and Xung Khiem Pavilion. This is the area where the emperor with his concubines came to leisure and composed poetry. Hoa Khiem Temple was the place where king Tu Duc and queen Hoang Le Thien Anh were enshrined and now is a tiny museum collects royal artefacts such as mirror, lock and the funerary tablets. Minh Khiem Duong was originally the royal theatre, which is one of the oldest theaters in Vietnam. Luong Khiem Temple, where the emperor used to work, is now the place to worship the emperor’s mother, the Empress dowager Tu Du.

The tomb area includes the Honour Courtyard, the Stele Pavilion and the tomb. There are two rows of statues of dignified civil and military officers on the Honour Courtyard. Inside the Stele Pavilion, there is a stone monument with a weight of 20 tons, where is engraved with 4,935 Chinese characters article called “Khiem Cung Ky". This is the confession of Emperor Tu Duc on his life, emperor career, illness and other issues. The Stele Pavilion of this tomb is known as the biggest one in Vietnam. The tomb is surrounded by a wall, where the emperor was buried. But it is said that the emperor is actually not buried here.

How to get to King Tu Duc Tomb

Located on the edge of the Perfume River, 10 kilometers south of Hue City, one can rent a bicycle, moterbike or rickshaw to get there. Visitors also can take a canal boat if time permits. It is recommended to visit with the Tomb of Minh Mang and the Tomb of Khai Dinh.