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the middle urn, which is also the largest at 2600 kilos, honours Gia Long. They stand across the courtyard from the long, low building of The Mieu, the Nguyens’ dynastic temple erected in 1822 by Minh Mang to worship his father. Since then, altars have been added for each emperor in turn, except Duc Duc and Hiep Hoa, who reigned only briefly, and Bao Dai who died in exile in 1997; the three anti-French sovereigns – Ham Nghi, Thanh Thai and Duy Tan – had to wait until after Independence in 1954 for theirs. Take a look inside to see the line of altar tables, most sporting a portrait or photo of the monarch. Behind each is a bed equipped with a sleeping mat, pillows and other accoutrements and, finally, a shrine holding funeral tablets for the emperor and his wife or wives. Anniversaries of the emperors’ deaths are still commemorated at The Mieu, attended by members of the royal family in all their finery.

Exit The Mieu by its west door, beside a 170-year-old pine tree trained in the shape of a flying dragon, and follow the path north into the next compound to find Hung Mieu. This temple is dedicated to the Nguyen ancestors and specifically to the parents of Gia Long, and is distinguished by its fine carving. North again, Dien Tho, the queen mother’s residence, is worth a look. Built in a mix of Vietnamese and French architectural styles, the palace later served as Bao Dai’s private residence, and the downstairs reception rooms are now set out with period furniture, echoing the photos of the palace in use in the 1930s.

The Mieu in the Imperial City

The central provinces | Hué | The citadel |

The museums

Instead of leaving the Imperial City via Ngo Mon Gate, cut east to exit via the well-preserved Cua Hien Nhon (“Gate of Humanity”). From here it’s a short walk to the Museum of Fine Arts at 3 Le Truc (7am–7pm; 22,000đ), which boasts an interesting display of former royal paraphernalia. Its most valuable exhibits are the lively paintings on glass which adorn the ironwood columns, and a series of stone gongs. But the museum’s greatest asset is the building it’s housed in, Long An Palace, built in 1845 inside the Imperial City and then moved to its present location to become the National University Library. The palace was renovated in 1995 and decorated with rich browns, highlighting the wealth of furniture decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay.

Directly across Le Truc, the Provincial Museum (7.30am–5pm; free) is worth visiting for its well-presented coverage of Hué during the American War. Photos, documents and original film clips cover both the Buddhist demonstrations in 1963 and the 1968 battle, including footage of the National Liberation Front flag being hoisted above the citadel.

The central provinces | Hué |

Phu Cat

Hué’s civilian and merchant quarter grew up alongside the citadel on a triangular island now divided into Phu Cat, Phu Hiep and Phu Hau districts. This part of town has a completely different atmosphere: it’s a lively, crowded, dilapidated area centred on Chi Lang, in Phu Cat District, which still boasts some single-storey, wood and red-tiled houses as well as more ornate, colonial-era shophouses. The area was once home to the Chinese community, and five Assembly Halls still stand along Chi Lang. Old trees shade the Dong Ba Canal on the island’s southwestern side, where Bach Dang was the site of anti-government demonstrations in the 1960s, centred around Dieu De Pagoda. There’s nothing compelling to draw you onto the island, particularly if you’ve already seen the Chinese temples of Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City, but the area provides a bustling contrast to the otherwise sedate streets of Hué.

The central provinces | Hué | Phu Cat |

The Chinese Assembly Halls

Chinese immigrants to Hué settled in five congregations around their separate Assembly Halls, of which the most interesting is Chua Ong, 319 Chi Lang. Founded by the Phuoc Kien (Fujian) community in the mid-1800s and rebuilt on several occasions, including after Viet Cong mortars hit a US munitions boat on the river nearby in 1968