An Hien Garden House in Hue, located beside the picturesque Perfume River, An Hien Garden House is an exemplary cultural architectural work in Hue.
An Hien Garden House
Opening time: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Entrance ticket: 50,000 VND/ person
An Hien garden house is located at 58 Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Kim Long ward, Hue city. It is not very far from Thien Mu Pagoda and Hue Imperial City. Similar to other constructions and ancient architectures built in the northern bank of the Huong river, the famous garden house faces this romantic river. Despite the long years and the ups and downs of history, An Hien Garden House is still a remarkable building that has stood the test of time.
As one of the most famous garden houses in Hue, An Hien Garden House appeared in the late 19th century. Initially, the house belonged to the 18th Princess of King Duc Duc. It then was under the management of Mr. Tung Le in 1920. In 1936, Nguyen Dinh Chi was the owner of the house for resale from Mr. Tung Le. In 1940, Nguyen Dinh Chi died and left the garden for Mrs. Dao Thi Xuan Yen, his wife (Mrs. Yen was the principal of Dong Khanh Girl School at that time) to manage. Mrs. Dao Thi Xuan Yen is the longest owner who has most completely preserved and enhanced the values of An Hien Garden House until her death in 1997. Although undergoing 116 years of existence, the architectural space of the house has retained its ancient characteristics so far.
The garden of An Hien has an area of 4,608 square meters, facing south with a view of the Perfume River. The garden is designed in the traditional Vietnamese and Hue architecture style.
The entrance to the garden is a small archway made of lime mortar. Along the path are two rows of white apricot trees, interlacing to create a cool and shaded area. If you turn your left hand towards the garden, you will come across a picture of an antique screen decorated with the Chinese character “Thọ”, meaning to prevent any negative energy from entering the house. In addition, there is also a rectangular lotus pond built in the traditional garden architecture style in front of the house according to feng shui principles. Additionally, the garden has many fruit trees such as kumquat, jackfruit, durian, dragon fruit, mango, peach, lychee, and tea.
Amidst the vast green garden stands a traditional house with an area of 135m2 built in the style of a “nha ruong” architecture consisting of three bays and two lean-tos. The central bay serves as a worship area while the two adjacent bays are used for receiving guests. Similarly, the two lean-tos are divided into a living area for men on the left and women on the right.
The entire framework of the house is made of wood with the main columns and beams intricately carved with ancient cultural motifs. The roof is layered with multiple tiles and adorned with dragon heads on both sides and a lotus flower at the peak.
Especially, the space of the traditional Vietnamese house is decorated with many antique items ranging from wooden tables and chairs, tea cabinets to tea sets. All furniture is neatly arranged according to the feng shui principles of traditional Vietnamese architecture.
An Hien Garden not only attracts tourists with the ancient beauty of its traditional house but also with the picturesque natural scenery and year-round fruit-laden trees surrounding the area. Here, visitors can indulge in the fresh and delicious tastes of a variety of tropical fruits, such as jackfruit, rambutan, durian, pomelo, and dragon fruit.
Here you can enjoy the specialty of Hue city, which is called “banh co”. This cake is made from simple ingredients such as glutinous rice flour, green bean flour, mung bean flour, and is molded in rectangular copper molds with the words “Tho”, “Phuc”, or lotus flower engraved on them.
One of the activities you should not miss when you have the opportunity to visit that garden is to enjoy the Hue singing performance. Amidst the ancient space of the communal house, visitors can sip a fragrant cup of hot tea while enjoying the unique traditional melodies.
If you have come to visit Hue, do not forget to visit An Hien garden house. Here, you can admire the lush and cool beauty of the garden, and contemplate the unique architecture of the Hue-style garden houses.
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