An Dinh Palace is an artistic architectural work of the Nguyen Dynasty, carrying in it a unique Asian-European architectural interference. This palace is distinct from the hundreds of other relics in the complex of Hue monuments that exist today. An Dinh Palace is a representative example of the neo-classical architectural style in Vietnam from the early 20th century.
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Introduction about An Dinh palace
An Dinh Palace Hue or Cung An Dinh lies on the bank of An Cuu Canal, at 179 Phan Dinh Phung street, Hue city, Vietnam. An Dinh Palace Hue was built in 1917, this is a unique building associated with the last Nguyen Dynasty emperors such as Khai Dinh, Bao Dai, Nam Phuong empress and Bao Long Prince.
An Dinh Palace History
An Dinh Palace, formerly known as Phung Hoa Palace, is a wooden construction located on the bank of the An Cuu River. An Dinh Palace Hue Vietnam was built by Dong Khanh Emperor for his eldest son – Khai Dinh – as a private palace to live from when Khai Dinh was still Crown Prince until the day he ascended the throne.
After the coronation day, in 1917, Khai Dinh Emperor used his own money to start renovating Phung Hoa palace in a modern way, turning the original wooden palace into the most magnificent, luxury castle in Vietnam at that time. Also, it was renamed An Dinh Palace.
In 1922, An Dinh Palace was given to Dong Cung Crown Prince Vinh Thuy – King Bao Dai later according to the wishes of King Khai Dinh. After the August Revolution, 1945, Bao Dai abdicated, along with his family, Nam Phuong empress, Tu Cung Empress Dowager, and other princes and princesses, moved from Hue Imperial Palace to An Dinh to live here, stayed until 1949.
Later, Mrs. Tu Cung – the last empress dowager of the Nguyen dynasty donated An Dinh palace to the revolutionary government. The palace has maintained its original state to this day and has been recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.
Architecture about An Dinh Palace Hue
The whole palace was built with an area of over 23,000m2, facing the south side of the An Cuu river. Originally, when it was still intact, the palace had about 10 large and small monuments including the boat wharf, main gate, Trung Lap pavilion, Khai Tuong floor, Cuu Tu Dai theater, animal cage, and the lake.
An Dinh Palace faces south towards the An Cuu River. The palace has a flat terrain with a total area of 23,463 square meters and is surrounded by a brick wall, 0.5 meters thick and 1.8 meters high, with iron bars. When it was intact, there were about ten buildings, including the Main Gate, Trung Lap Communal House, Khai Tuong Floor, Cuu Tu Dai Theater, Animal Stables, and Lake. After more than 100 years and the destruction of the war, only three buildings remain relatively intact: the Main Gate, Trung Lap Communal House, and Khai Tuong Floor.
Main gate of An Dinh Palace
The main gate is considered one of this palace’s most unique architectural features because of its three-story design. It is built following the three-door brick entrance, consisting of two floors, embossed with the elaborate decoration of crockery and colored glass. At the top of the roof of the upper floor, there is also a large pearl icon.
The motifs are images that are very familiar to Eastern culture such as dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, turtles… The arch of the gate is embossed with three words “An Dinh Palace“. In addition, there are pairs of pillars embossed in Roman style.
Trung Lap Bower
Behind the main gate, in the middle of the courtyard is Trung Lap bower, which acts as a “front screen” with an octagonal communal house structure, a very high foundation, and the roof is in the form of an ancient floor. The top of the communal house has two layers: a lower layer with eight edges and an upper layer with four edges. The roof of Trung Lap bower has an impressive visual art, embossed with 12 dragons with the meaning of flying in “four directions and eight ways”.
Khai Tuong Building
Behind the Trung Lap Communal House is the Khai Tuong Pavilion. King Khai Dinh named Khai Tuong with the meaning of the place to start auspiciously. The pavilion has three floors with an area of up to 745 square meters with European architectural style. The front is elaborately decorated with modern Roman motifs interwoven with traditional oriental royal motifs of the four holy animals. The lobby area is also very prominent, with six paintings with wooden frames, carved lotus leaves, stunning apricot flowers.
Khai Tuong Building has a total of 22 large and small rooms. In particular, the 1st floor has seven splendidly decorated rooms, the most prominent is the hall. The second floor consists of eight rooms for living and resting. The third floor has seven rooms, the former residence of Tu Cung Empress Dowager, and a worship place.
In the middle of the hall is a bronze statue of Vinh Thuy Prince, who was later the Bao Dai Emperor, the last emperor of Vietnam. The living room and dining room are in European style, facing each other across the hall. At the end of the hall is a staircase leading to the second floor. From carpets, pillars, stair handrails to floral motifs, all were very modern with Western-style, which was rare at that time.
Cuu Tu Dai Theater
Behind the Khai Tuong building was once a very special monument, the Cuu Tu Dai theater with an area of 1,150m2, including two floors with a capacity of 500 people. This is the place for performing classic drama and reforming theater for the royal family under the reign of the Bao Dai emperor. The grandstand is designed on both floors around the stage; the honor stand on the second floor is dedicated to the king and royal family, the great ministers, envoys. civil servants.
An Dinh Palace in Hue is a testament to the perfect combination of Eastern and European architecture, creating a unified, beautiful, and unique block. It is an attraction that should not be missed on your journey to discover Hue.
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