Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [226]
The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué | South of the centre |
Nam Giao
First and foremost in the ceremonial and religious life of the nation was Nam Giao (“Altar of Heaven”), where the emperor reaffirmed the legitimacy of his rule in sacred rituals, held here roughly every three years from 1807 to 1945. The ceremonies were performed on a series of terraces, two square-shaped and one round, symbolizing heaven, earth and man in descending order. Before each occasion the monarch purified himself, keeping to a strict regime of vegetarian food and no concubines for several days. He then carried out the sacrifices, with the assistance of some five-thousand attendants, to ensure the stability of both the country and the dynasty. Nam Giao makes a good place for a relaxing walk, though there’s not too much to get your teeth into. In the grounds – on the far right of the complex as viewed from the entrance – is a small museum featuring interesting photographs of regal days.
The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué | South of the centre |
Tu Hieu Pagoda
Though not the most famous pagoda in Hué, Tu Hieu is one of the most attractive, and it does have an Imperial link since this is where royal eunuchs retired to and were worshipped after their deaths. The pagoda was founded in 1843 and still houses an active community of forty monks who extend a warm welcome to their occasional visitors. The main altar is dedicated to Sakyamuni, with the Buddhist trinity sitting up above, while a secondary shrine room behind contains altars to several famous mandarins and the eunuchs. Between the two buildings is a small courtyard festooned with orchids and a 100-year-old star-fruit vine. To find the pagoda, take the road towards Tu Duc’s Mausoleum from the Nam Giao T-junction and near the top of the hill look out for two tall columns announcing “Tu Hieu”. Turn right here down a dirt road and then fork left to reach the pagoda’s triple-arched gate behind which lies a peaceful, crescent-moon lake. There is no charge to visit the Tu Hieu Pagoda.
The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué | South of the centre |
The Royal Arena
On the south bank of the Perfume River stands the Royal Arena, or Ho Quyen, where the emperors amused themselves with fights between elephants and tigers. Not that this was entirely sport: elephants symbolized the unequalled might of the sovereign while tigers represented rebel forces, and the arena was built on the site of an old Cham fort just to underline the message of Imperial power. It was, apparently, a pretty one-sided fight which the elephant was never allowed to lose, and contemporary accounts suggest that in later years the tigers were tied to a stake and had their claws removed. Originally the contests were held on open ground in front of the citadel, but after a tiger attacked Minh Mang they were staged in the arena from 1830 until the last fight in 1904.
The Royal Arena still exists almost in its original state, though the royal pavilion has rotted away. For the best view, climb up the staircase on the north wall to where the emperor would have sat facing south over the small arena. After they died, the elephants were worshipped nearby in a small temple, Long Chau Dien, which stands to the west of the arena, although almost completely hidden by undergrowth and with only a couple of elephant statues to see: follow the path round the arena’s south side to find the temple, overlooking a small lake.
The Royal Arena is 4km from central Hué, taking Bui Thi Xuan along the Perfume River’s south bank through Phuong Duc, a famous metal-casting village. At 198 Bui Thi Xuan, turn left up a dirt track and take the left fork after 20m to see the arena’s brick steps in front of you. If you want to combine the arena with the Royal Mausoleums, you can use a rough backroad from Phuong Duc village, though this takes a far steeper route than the main one via Dien Bien Phu.
The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué |
Thuan An Beach
Northeast of Hué, the Perfume River