Our next stop after the Tu Duc’s Tomb is the impressive imperial tomb of Khai Dinh. The tomb is further down the road from the Hue and is situated on a hillside where one can see the surrounding countryside. By the time we got there, the sun was already high up and blazing hot. This won’t be the best time to take pictures of the place. What’s more the sun was a little behind the structures, so there were really terrible lighting conditions.
The tomb of Khai Dinh in stark contrast to the relatively simple tomb of Tu Duc, was an ornate combination of Chinese, Vietnamese, European and even Cham architecture. The entrance gate is adorned with intricately carved dragons. Unlike Tu Duc’s tomb, this place was not intended to be a palace or residence. There were no parks nor lakes here. However, it is built along the hillside so it still has fabulous views.
Along the way to the tomb after climbing a flight of stairs, are smaller than life statues of soldiers standing guard by the tomb. This is not unlike the statues found at Qin Shi Huang’s Tomb in Xi’an, China. However, unlike in Xi’an, these soldier’s can be counted. At the end of the courtyard is another intricately designed stone house.
Up another flight of stairs is the structure housing the tomb itself. The way it is designed it feels more like a palace than a tomb. In contrast to the other material the place is made of, this one uses a lot of white concrete. It is possible to go inside the main temple and admire the amazing interiors inside. There is a bronze statue of Khai Dinh there and somewhere behind it is the tomb itself.
While visiting this place it astounded me to find out that this place was not even a century old as it was finished in the early half of the 20th century. I thought that places like this have to be at least several centuries old.
At the time of our visit, there were already a lot of people so it is best to avoid them by either coming very early or coming very late. The place is small enough to cover in an hour or two. Then again, coming in the afternoon might be a better idea so as to get better lighting conditions.
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