Inside the Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is just like a mini version of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in more ways than one. Not only does it look almost identical to the original hall but it also attracts a large portion of the crowds here. However, unlike the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, it isn’t as big as a result the doors aren’t as accomodating. As a result people have to queue to be able to see what is inside.

Queue to the Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇

Just like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, it is not possible to go in the hall, you can only have a peek at what is inside. The queue for the Imperial Vault of Heaven was understandably long but it moves quite fast so the wait wasn’t that long. I was thankful that the local tourists here know how to queue, or rather they have no choice. The path to the viewing area is narrow, so it is not easy for someone to cut the queue. And just like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, you still have to jostle for space since there will be a few of you trying to get a glimpse of the inside.

Beautiful Patterns on the Wall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇

The inside of the hall was much more visible than the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, not surprising since this one is only one level high, so the roof is much closer, however it was just as dark. As some impatient local tourist will try to prevent you from getting a clear photo, I quickly got out of the viewing area. To my untrained eye, it looks much like that first hall except this one was small, but no less grand.

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Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇

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Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇

At the center of the cluster of Ming dynasty buildings and what I would call the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests Lite. Indeed it looks like a small version of the star attraction here at the Temple of Heaven Park. This hall is called the Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇. This hall unlike its big brother up north, is only a single level high compared to the three level of the former. However, the overall design of the hall closely resembles the first hall.

See the People Queueing Up at the Hall?

It is from here that the Danbi Bridge starts on its way to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. And just like it, the hall is also surrounded by a lot of tourists eager to see what is inside. This hall although it is also circular, it only stands on a one level terrace unlike its more popular neighbor. I guess if you can’t get to the big one, this one will do.

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West Annex Hall 西配殿

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The Citadel

We stepped outside the Ngoc Mai Hotel wondering how to get to the Hue’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. Our guides still haven’t arrived yet. Fortunately, there were some locals with motorcycles asking us whether we wanted to go there. Of course we agreed. The ride took around 15 minutes from the hotel to the main square where the temple complex is. There is a lot of activity in the area and a lot of tourists too. But most of the tourists were Vietnamese. There were a handful of Caucasians too but not a lot.

Inside the Royal Palace

We are currently at the Imperial Citadel Đại Nội, one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hue. This is a palace/temple complex built by the Nguyen Dynasty as recently as two hundred years ago. Actually that was quite surprising, as I wasn’t expecting these temples to be built so recently. Unlike the temples of maybe China whose temples, have existed for a millennia or two. Regardless, the temples of Hue have that unmistakable Chinese feel, signs that China had such a huge influence in the history and culture of Vietnam. If one were to transport the temple to somewhere in China, it would look totally at home.

Fixing up the Lanterns

After paying the entrance fee, we entered the palace grounds. This place used to be the seat of power when Hue was the capital of Vietnam at that time. The Nguyen emperors had these temples built for their use. It was also during this time that Hue because the academic and cultural capital of Vietnam. The palace is surrounded by a moat, still with water, and with a carpet of water lilies covering it. The water lilies made the otherwise boring moat come to life with color.

Citadel at Dusk

The Ngọ Môn gate at the entrance was a beautiful sight. It has all the markings of Chinese design complete with Chinese characters. One could actually climb up and walk to it and get a good view of the surrounding area. There are huge drums on top presumably for defense. The central door of the gate and the bridge crossing the moat is reserved exclusively for the emperor.

Lights On for the Festival

Further in the complex is the royal palace Thái Hòa itself. As expected it is truly magnificent in its design. Even the columns are exquisitely carved with dragons. Little wonder why Hue became the cultural capital of Vietnam for a while. I found it amazing to see that the palace was so well preserved considering that Vietnam was in civil war just a couple of decades ago. The people have done a great job preserving such as precious treasure. The palace is where the emperors would hold court and receive foreign dignitaries.

Behind the palace is an area full of red lanterns. I was curious as to what the purpose of those lanterns were, when we were informed that these were a actually fireworks for the night’s festival. Actually, there are a couple of buildings in a state disrepair. It seems they were destroyed in the civil war.

There were more and more people coming in the Citadel and were gathering in the open area. In another part of the complex were some performances showing traditional dances. I wasn’t really interested in them we hung around for a while to see if something will happen.

Huge Bell

By this time, the sun had already set and the palace was all lit up. The temple now looked even more impressive with the lights turned on. Combine that with the slowly darkening sky and the water of the moat, it really makes for a beautiful scene.

Outside the Citadel, was also another performance area, this is more like a concert more than anything else. Not wanting to lose myself in the huge crowd gathered at the performance area we decided to go back to the hotel.

For you readers, it may be interesting to see how big the complex actually was if you look at the map and zoom back a little bit. Only after seeing the scale of how big the imperial citadel was can one truly admire their skill in building this icon of Hue.

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