2 Facts: Hue

Hue

Location

Hue is a city in central Vietnan which lies on a plain backed by foothills of the Annamese Cordillera (Chaîne Annamitique) and is situated 5 miles from the South China Sea coast.

Pop. (1979) 165,865; (1989) 211,718; (1992 est.) 219,149.

Brief History

Hue is traversed by the Huong River (Hue River, or Perfume River).

In the heart of the city, on the river's left bank, is the Chinese-style Vietnamese imperial citadel, Dai Noi, from which the Nguyen family ruled southern and central Vietnam from the mid-16th to the mid-20th century. The citadel's 7-mile walled circumference contained priceless artifacts of Vietnamese civilization.

Located to the east of the imperial capital is the commercial section of the city. First cited about 200 BC, when it was the seat of the Chinese military authority in the kingdom of Nam Viet (Chinese: Nan Yüeh), Hue passed about AD 200 to the Cham. The Chinese captured it repeatedly and in 1306 was ceded to Dai Viet (Vietnam).

From 1558 Hue was ruled by the Nguyen family. In 1802 Prince Nguyen Anh, assisted by the French, became Emperor Gia Long of the newly established Nguyen dynasty, which included Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and its capital was at Hue. Bao Dai, the last of his line, officially emperor of Vietnam from 1926 to 1945, and functioned as a figurehead under the French protectorate, which had existed from 1883.

Hue was under Japanese occupation from 1940 to 1945, and then became the seat of a provisional administrative committee of noncommunist Vietnamese in April 1947. On July 1, 1949, however, the newly declared state of Vietnam chose Saigon as its capital, and Hue lost its historic function. Since the end of World War II Hue has undergone several upheavals. Suffering damage during the First Indochina War (1946-54), it experienced severe civil disturbances in 1963 and in 1965.

During the 1968 Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, many of the former royal buildings, museums, libraries, and Buddhist shrines, including the Temple of Heaven, were damaged and distroyed. The city was subsequently rebuilt though. During the French occupation Hue was linked to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) by road and railway; it also has an airport at Phu Bai, some 10 miles (16 km) to the southeast.

The city's university was originally founded in 1957; after being reorganized in 1976 it was granted university status in 1988. The early 17th-century Thien Mu pagoda and the tombs of the Nguyen kings are near the city. Hue's complex of historic monuments, centred on the imperial citadel, was placed on the World Heritage List in 1993

Climate

Situated in the path of the northeast winter monsoon (September to April), the city has heavy rainfall, from 104 to 116 inches (2,600 to 2,900 mm) annually. Summers are hot and relatively dry, June being the hottest month.

More Images

Khai Dinh Tombs

The Khai Dinh tombs outside of Hue are typical of the imperial grandeur that contributes so much to the city's atmosphere and makes it revered by Vietnamese from througout the country.