Thien Mu Pagoda: Our first stop of the day was at the Thien Mu Pagoda, located on the banks of the Huong (Perfume) River. After hearing of a prophesy, presented to the locals by the Celestial Lady Thien Mu, that a lord would build a pagoda, or temple, on that site for the prosperity of the kingdom, Hue Governor Nguyen Hoang had it built in 1601. Within the temple sits Phuoc Duyen Tower, the tallest of its kind in Vietnam, erected by Emperor Thieu Tri in 1844, rising seven stories, each one for a different Buddha. The temple is inhabited and cared for by a community of monks. Perhaps the most famous monk to have stayed there was Thich Quang Duc.
In 1963, Thich Quang Duc drove an Austin car, which is on display in a viewing pavilion, from the pagoda to Saigon, where he got out and lit himself on fire and died in protest of the government of Ngo Dinh Diem, who was Roman Catholic and instituted oppressive policies toward Buddhists.
At the very back of the temple sits the stupa of Hoa Thuong Thich Don Hau, the abbot of the temple during its reconstruction in the twentieth century.
Citadel & Imperial City: Located on the Perfume River, the Citadel is a large, walled-off compound surrounded by a moat. On the southern side of the outer walls of the Citadel sits the Flag Tower, home to the largest flagpole in Vietnam. Currently, an enormous Vietnamese flag waves, having replaced the American flag that was there during Vietnam's War for Independence, and, before that, a French flag.
Within the Citadel sits another walled-off compound that once served as the residence of the king, known as the Imperial City. Much of the Imperial City buldings were destroyed during the war, and still lie in ruins today. However, there are several buildings still standing, such as the gate and guard tower seen above and the restored Royal Room.
It was interesting and we would have liked to spend more time there sightseeing, but everyone else was ready to go, so we loaded back on the bus for our next destination.
Khai Dinh Tomb: Although it was on our original agenda, the tour guide had planned to skip seeing the tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh. Peep had heard about it from a friend and asked to see it, so that was our next stop. Although not the largest of tombs, it is one of the most elaborate. Perhaps its location on the side of a mountain outside the city limited the size of its construction.
Khai Dinh reigned from 1916 to 1925 and a biography of his life, as written by his son, is inscribed on a large stone tablet located in the pavilion just inside the main entrance gate. The actual tomb palace can be seen in the background of the above picture, a total of 127 steps from road level. The tomb palace contains many extravagantly painted rooms, inlaid with glass and porcelain, that house many artifacts, his statue, altar and grave.
Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture: Afterward, we headed to Da Nang and toured the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture. There were many artifacts, mostly statues, that came off of or out of old palaces from past kingdoms in the area. However, there wasn't much written about the historical significance of the pieces, so we were left guessing at their meaning.
Apsara Restaurant: We then went to eat at a restaurant with traditional music and dances, but left before the show ended. After dinner, we were free to explore the city on our own, but didn't know of anything to do or see, and there wasn't much near the hotel.