HUÊ CITADEL

The citadel is hemmed in on the north bank, in a loop of the Perfume River. Within the citadel is the Imperial City, where tourist visits are strictly regulated. It is fortified by a 6.60-metre-high, 21-metre-thick wall, reinforced by a moat and designed according to plans inspired by Vauban's fortifications. In the past, 24 cannons watched over the citadel and protected the capital, Kinh Thanh, where royal administrations such as the Council of Sages, the Censorate, the Imperial Academy and the College of the Sons of the State were grouped together. The citadel communicated with the outside world via eight gates facing in eight directions: due east (Chinh Dong), due west (Chinh Tay), due south (Chinh Nam), due north (Chinh Bac), north-east (Tay Bac), south-west (Tay Nam), north-east (Dong Bac) and south-east (Dong Nam). The two side gates, the Humanity Gate (The Nhon) and the Moral Gate (Quang Duc), and the river gates, the Western River Gate (Tay Thành Thuy Quan) and the Eastern River Gate (Dông Thành Thuy Quan), located at either end of the Royal Canal (Ngu Ha), were clearly visible.

To the north-west of the citadel stood a fortified mound, first called Paix éternelle (Thai Binh) under Gia Long, then Tertre pour ordonner la paix (Tran Binh Dai). This bastion was used for defensive purposes, protecting the northeast side of the citadel. The citadel's layout also obeyed elaborate geomancy principles.

After acceding to the throne in 1802, Emperor Gia Long devoted himself to building a new capital at Hué for the dynasty he had just founded. He visited the villages of Kim Long and Thành Ha, where he chose the site for the citadel. Nguyên Van Yên was commissioned to draw up plans for the future capital. Its structure is reminiscent of Beijing's Forbidden City: a citadel containing the imperial city, itself containing the Forbidden City. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese never fail to point out that one of the architects of Beijing's Forbidden City, Nguyên An, is a native of the country. The construction phase of the Hué citadel lasted from 1805 to 1824. More than 15,000 workers were involved. The know-how of many regions was deployed for the work: precious wood supplied by the provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri, marble quarried on the Ngu Hanh mountain, or sandstone available near the Thiên Mu pagoda.