Khai Dinh Tomb – The Pinnacle of Art
Khai Dinh Tomb , also known as Ung Lang, is a unique cultural and artistic work with an architecture that can be crowned the most special of all tombs and also the last architecture of the dynasty Nguyen in Hue
The Khai Dinh King, whose real name is Nguyen Phuc Buu Dao, began to build his grand tomb on September 4, 1920 – it required 11 years of construction and can be said that is an elaborately constructed project and the most expensive with a lot of workers and artists all over the country. Materials used to build were are imported from China, Japan and France. Furthermore, they are combination of many different of architectural styles such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Roman and Gothique. This is the result of the Eastern-Western cultural interference received of the new beauty with an extremely delicate and skillful selection to harmonize Vietnamese architecture.
Where is Khai Dinh Tomb ?
The Khai Dinh Tomb is located on the Chau E Mountain in Hue. As well as other tombs, Khai Dinh Tomb also has river ahead, Chop Vung Mountain as a green dragon adorating, and on the right is the Kim Son Mountain which forms like a white tiger kneeling. To the front is the “Chau E Spring” flowing through and the name of the title “Ung tomb” is named after the mountain here – Ung Son Mountain
Things to see in in Khai Dinh Tomb
The tomb has very a modest area of 5,674m2 and is considered an extremely attractive destination for tourists whenever they come to Hue.
Looking from the outside, Khai Dinh Tomb has 127 steps which divide the tomb’s space into 5 parts as a castlebetween modern elements but still retains the traditional features like “Bi Dinh”, with rows statues of Mandarins , elephants and horses with large steles for the king’s merit
But the most special and important place in the Tomb of Tu Duc is the Thien Dinh temple
Thien Dinh temple in Khai Dinh Tomb
That is the most special and important place in the Tomb of Khai Dinh
Thien Dinh temple is the main architectural structure of the mausoleum, which is also the place where artisans can fulfill their own talents. This place consists of 5 main parts:
– Left and Right guard room : The place for soldiers to guard
– To the front is the Khai Thanh temple: a shrine and portrait of King Khai Dinh
– Located in the middle is a place where the King statue and a lower tomb can be seen
– To the rear is the temple of the post of the late king
The entire interior of the 3 middle spaces in Thien Dinh Palace is decorated with relics made from porcelain and glassware – Four-season paintings, tea trays, crowns, alarm clocks, tennis rackets, kerosene lamps, etc. are all made of porcelain and glassware, through the skillful hands of the artisans.
Buu Tan and The statue of Khai Dinh king
More specifically, The Buu Tan symbol weighs nearly 1 ton, with smooth and soft lines that make viewers believe it is completely made from silk.
The statue of Khai Dinh king is made from two French artisans “P.Ducing” and “F. Barbedienne” at the request of the king. Below is the king’s corpse, brought in by a nearly 30-meter tunnel.
One more interesting thing but also hidden many secrets in the King’s tomb Khai is 3 paintings “Nine Dragon hidden clouds” by artist Phan Van Tanh. It is a painting that has been painted with legs and has not been repaired for 80 years but remains the same, and never had a spider web attached to it even though there are many around and until now it is still unreasonable for explain
In Thien Dinh Palace, there are a total of 2 statues of Khai Dinh king:
– Firstly, the King Khai Dinh dressed in French soldiers. This statue was cast in Vietnam
– Secondly, the main statue in Thien Dinh palace – a statue made in France by two French artisans, transported to Vietnam by waterway and covered with gold by a notable Hue artisan with ratio as true as the real person and the king’s corpse is located right below this statue
How to get to Khai Dinh Tomb ?
Khai Dinh Tomb is located approximately 9km away from Hue City, roughly a 20 minute journey by car with very nice roads. There are still many ways to travel to the tomb however:
1, Motorbike or Bicycle:
With an easy road, low traffic density and fresh scenery to enjoy, motorcycles and bicycles are an extremely suitable choice for you to both admire and bask in the scenery of Hue city.
Motorbike rental prices range from: VND 120,000 – VND 150,000 / motor / day (no gasoline) and bicycle from VND 40,000 – VND 50,000 / bicycle / day
2, Taxi:
If you have very little time or simply you just want to visit one place, taking a taxi will be very suitable for you. However, one thing to note is that you will pay the cost per kilometer and that is not really cheap in comparison to other options – if you want the driver to wait while you visit, you will to pay an extra fee but very few taxi drivers can speak English. Therefore it is best to book a private English speaking driver through a company if you require that
Some reliable taxi firms in Hue like:
Mai Linh Taxi: 0234.3.89.89.89
Thanh Cong Taxi: 0234 3575 757
Yellow taxi: 0234.3.79.79.79
Hoang Sa Taxi : 0234.3.75.75.75
Gili Taxi : 0234.3.82.82.82
Huong Giang Taxi: 0234.3.78.78.78
3, Private cars:
We recommend that when traveling to another country, it is best to take a private car. This option is worth the small extra amount of money you will pay to depart at your own time, have an experiecned English speaking driver and also a modern vehicle with air-conditioning to escape the extreme heat or rain. There is also no time limit on how long you spend, the driver is always willing to cater to your needs. The cars are also equipped with Wi-Fi for your convenience. If satisfied with the service by the end, you can tip the driver a small amount to thank him for his service.
Extra tip: If you are taking the time to rent a private car, it is best to plan 2-3 destinations so that you can enjoy the service whilst visiting all of the most notable places in Hue city that cannot be missed.
4, Take a city tour:
Another great option is to take a specialised local city tour with a small group. As well as it being affordable, the tour is all inclusive: Tour guide, entrance fees, lunch, transportation, dragon cruise boat ride and bottled water. It is becoming one of the most popular ways to discover Hue city in a single day, whilst learning about the fascinating history.
Hue city tour offers 2 types: A big group and Deluxe group (small group), but we recommend that you choose small group for the following reasons:
– Due to there being less guests, the guide will have more time to take care of you and answer your questions
– You will hear the explanation clearly and be asked more when you select small group
– Time to visit each destination on the tour will be longer
– Cost of sightseeing tickets will be reduced to the minimum price (combo ticket)
Don’t miss the unforgettable oppurtunity to visit Khai Dinh Tomb when you come to Hue!
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