Huế

Huế's Imperial City is the former seat of the Nguyễn Dynasty - a 3km² walled citadel of palaces, gates, pavilions, and ceremonial halls on the Perfume River, modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City and the most complete imperial complex in Southeast Asia.

Khải Định Tomb is the most visually striking of Huế's royal mausoleums - a dark concrete palace fusing Vietnamese, French, and Hindu architectural styles, covered inside with intricate mosaics of porcelain and glass, built over 11 years by the second-to-last Nguyễn emperor.

Minh Mạng Tomb is the most architecturally ambitious of Huế's royal mausoleums - a vast symmetrical complex of lakes, bridges, pavilions, and temple halls spread across 28 hectares, built by the second Nguyễn emperor over 14 years on a hillside above the Perfume River.

Thiên Mụ Pagoda is the oldest and most iconic religious site in Huế - a 21-metre seven-tiered tower on a hill above the Perfume River, founded in 1601, and the unofficial symbol of the city that has witnessed every major chapter of Vietnamese history.

Tự Đức Tomb is the most garden-like of Huế's royal mausoleums - a romantic complex of pine forests, lotus ponds, and wooden pavilions built by Vietnam's most literary emperor, who spent years here composing poetry before his death in 1883.