China Imperial City in Vietnam - Complex of Hué Monuments 676; Nha Nhac, Vietnamese court music 00074
What and Why
Huế is a city in central Vietnam that was the capital of Đàng Trong during the mid-18th century CE and of the Nguyễn Dynasty from early 19th century CE to 1945 CE. During the Vietnam War, when it was conquered by the Việt Cộng and held for 24 days, during which around 3,000 people were slaughtered, suspected of sympathising with the South.
The main attraction is its vast, 19th-century CE imperial citadel (Vietnamese: hoàng thành), surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls and includes the former emperor's residence. The entire citadel resembles the counterpart Forbidden City (Chinese: 紫禁城, Zijincheng) of China. There is a massive Chinese influence in the entire city and the imperial city and literally recites the history of Chinese in Vietnam. Nguyễn was the last imperial family of Vietnam, and at least 1/3 of Vietnamese bear this surname to date.
Toponymy
Huế means 'transform' in Vietnamese which is derived from the historic name Thuận Hóa (Chinese: 順化, Shunhua), meaning 'smooth transform'.
See
Imperial City (Đại Nội)
Derived from Chinese 大内 (da'nei), meaning the great inner area, the former imperial seat of government and Hue's prime attraction, this is a huge complex of temples, pavilions, moats, walls, gates, shops, museums and galleries, featuring art and costumes from various periods of Vietnamese history, especially the Chinese influence, in particular the Forbidden City of Beijing (Chinese: 北京). The citadel was initiated by Emperor Gia Long (né Nguyễn Phúc Ánh) after consultation with geomancers in the early 19th century CE. Chinese customs decree that the main gate must be facing south.
The royal gate Ngọ Môn (Chinese: 午門, wumen), meaning meridional or noon gate picture above, was built in 1833 CE by Emperor Minh Mạng (né Nguyễn Phúc Đảm) and was reserved exclusively for the emperor. The gate opens to Thái Hòa Palace (meaning Great Rites Courtyard and Palace of Supreme Harmony).
Just north of the Forbidden City, which is now completely destroyed, is the Mandarin Palace, which is actually very beautiful. The Mandarin Palace is also the main 'museum' of the Chinese history of Vietnam. One of the exhibits documents Vietnamese ownership of the disputed Spratly Islands (Quần Đảo Trường Sa) through various historic maps, certain to enrage Chinese tourists.
The ruined Forbidden City, thanks to the Vietnam War.
The Mandarin Palace.
The Mandarin palace is a full museum of Vietnamese history of the Nguyễn Dynasty (Nhà Nguyễn), especially pre-Vietnamese War. It also documents extremely well the life of civil servant history during the time. Worth a visit.
Another main feature is the very impressive royal theatre. During the imperial period, these musicians used to play their court music, called Nhã nhạc, at their best, or if not their heads would be off! Nhã nhạc, meaning elegant music in Vietnamese, is still being passed on, just not the head-chopping part and is often played during ceremonial occasions. Nhã nhạc is now an official UNESCO ICH.
As mentioned in the blog, this citadel shows a lot of Chinese influence and history. Almost every manuscript in the palace is in Chinese and you can literally correspond each Chinese word to its Vietnamese counterpart. In more linguistic fact however, Vietnamese is an Austroasiatic language that originated in Vietnam itself and is similar to Khmer (Khmer: ភាសាខ្មែរ). However due to geography and a millennium of Chinese rule since the 11th century CE, much of the Vietnamese lexicon is derived from Chinese, as many as 60% of the lexical stock has Chinese word borrowings.
Contrary to common belief, this latinisation of Vietnamese started with the Portuguese instead of the French. As early as 1520 CE, Portuguese and Italian Jesuit missionaries in Vietnam began using Latin script to transcribe the Vietnamese language as an assistance for learning the language. These efforts led eventually to the development of the present Vietnamese alphabet, started by Portuguese missionary Francisco de Pina. His work was continued by the French missionary Alexandre de Rhodes. Hence there are actually more origin from the Portuguese language then the French, which comes much later.
Thien Mu Pagoda (Chùa Thiên Mụ)
Derived from the Chinese name 天姥寺, meaning an old heavenly woman, the temple is almost another icon of Huế, it is beautifully sited around the river Hương Giang (meaning fragrant river), it is built in the early 17th century CE when Nguyễn Hoàng, the then governor of Huế, visited the site. Apparently an old woman appeared to him and she told the governor that this site had supernatural significance and should be marked by a pagoda, and hence the name.
Imperial tombs (Lăng mộ)
The tombs of Gia Long and Minh Mạng are located reasonably closed to the Imperial City, especially that of Minh Mạng. Minh Mạng was a very respected emperor in Vietnam, in spite of his isolationist approach in governing his country, to the ire of the West.
The biggest surprise was the relatively unknown Khải Định Tomb, who is the last of the Nguyễn Dynasty. The tomb is a blend of French and Eastern architecture and is exceptionally well-crafted.
In 1916 CE, Khải Định (né Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đả) became the Emperor of Vietnam. The Emperor sided with the French and became very unpopular amongst the Vietnamese people. Even the French did not take him seriously and merely considered him an offshore employee for France. Like other Vietnamese emperors, Khải Định prepared a mausoleum and was the last member of the Nguyễn Dynasty to do this. The mausoleum reminds everyone of Parque Güell and Marseille, oozing a lot of Western architectural style.
The throne room.
Getting There and Around
We were chauffeured there, but there are plenty of local tours from Đà Nẵng and Hội An. Again do not attempt to rent a car or motorcycle in Vietnam. The area deserves a full day visit. The entrance fee to the citadel is VND 150,000₫.
Eat and Drink
No one can claim to have been to Vietnam without having phở (prounounced /fəː/), meaning rice noodles. Noodles in Vietnam are largely made from rice and the street dish is popularised throughout the world after the Vietnam War refugee dispersion.
Huế technically belongs to the South, and southern Vietnamese phở broth is less meaty and more herbal, with bean sprouts, fresh sliced chilli, and a larger variety of fresh herbs. We had a very good basic lunch in Phở Sàigòn.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City, giving this unique feudal capital a setting of great natural beauty.
Nha Nhac, meaning “elegant music”, refers to a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Nha Nhac was generally featured at the opening and closing of ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official receptions. Among the numerous musical genres that developed in Vietnam, only Nha Nhac can claim a nationwide scope and strong links with the traditions of other East Asian countries. Nha Nhac performances formerly featured numerous singers, dancers and musicians dressed in sumptuous costumes. Large-scale orchestras included a prominent drum section and many other types of percussion instruments as well as a variety of wind and string instruments. All performers had to maintain a high level of concentration since they were expected to follow each step of the ritual meticulously.
Nha Nhac developed during the Le dynasty (1427-1788) and became highly institutionalized and codified under the Nguyen monarchs (1802-1945). As a symbol of the dynasty’s power and longevity, Nha Nhac became an essential part of the court’s many ceremonies. However, the role of Nha Nhac was not limited to musical accompaniment for court rituals: it also provided a means of communicating with and paying tribute to the gods and kings as well as transmitting knowledge about nature and the universe.
The events that shook Vietnam in the twentieth century – especially the fall of the monarchy and the decades of war – seriously threatened the survival of Nha Nhac. Deprived of its court context, this musical tradition lost its original function. Nevertheless, the few surviving former court musicians continue to work to keep the tradition alive. Certain forms of Nha Nhac have been maintained in popular rituals and religious ceremonies and serve as a source of inspiration for contemporary Vietnamese music.
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