An Dinh Palace – Magnificent Castle Along the An Cuu River

An Dinh Palace resembles a majestic ancient European castle, standing out as a unique architectural masterpiece amidst the historic complex of Hue Imperial City.

An Dinh Palace – Magnificent Castle Along the An Cuu River

History of An Dinh Palace

In the past, An Dinh Palace was known as An Dinh residence, a wooden architectural structure like other constructions within the Imperial City at that time. It was built in 1902 as the private residence of Prince Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đảo, later King Khải Định.

An Dinh Palace is located on the northern bank of the An Cuu River, to the left of the Kien Thai Vuong Mausoleum, who gave birth to 3 kings: Dong Khanh, Kien Phuc, and Ham Nghi. Here, Prince Bửu Đảo gave birth to his only son Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy, who later became King Bảo Đại.

After ascending the throne, King Khai Dinh used his personal funds to renovate An Dinh Palace, expanding the premises and constructing additional buildings. The purpose was to create a grand resting place to commemorate the king's birth and to be bestowed upon Prince Vinh Thuy.

Initially, the king acquired more land from families residing behind the An Dinh Palace grounds to expand the area to 23,463 square meters. He demolished the main and ancillary houses within the old grounds and rebuilt them using modern, sturdy materials, namely reinforced concrete, in Western-style architecture.

The structures within the new grounds were renovated and constructed between 1917-1918. At that time, the term 'palace' was changed to 'court,' hence officially named the An Dinh Court.

In 1922, Prince Vinh Thuy was appointed as the Eastern Crown Prince and moved to An Dinh Court. However, in the same year, the Crown Prince went to study abroad in France. By 1925, when King Khai Dinh passed away, the Crown Prince returned to Hue to attend the mourning ceremony and ascended the throne in early 1926 with the reign title of Bao Dai.

Immediately after, Bao Dai continued his studies in France until 1932 before returning home and marrying Queen Nam Phuong in 1934. Two years later, the Queen gave birth to Prince Bao Long. In turn, the Prince was appointed as the Eastern Crown Prince by King Bao Dai and bestowed An Dinh Court.

From then until King Bao Dai abdicated in 1945, An Dinh Court was often used as a splendid villa to host significant ceremonial receptions by the royal court, with the participation of close royal relatives, court officials, and families of the French colonial government.

Following King Bao Dai's abdication on August 30, 1945, the entire royal family relocated to reside in An Dinh Palace. Only the king's mother stayed here until 1949, when Bao Dai returned to the country as the Head of State.

Remaining Architecture of An Dinh Palace

An Dinh Palace follows the modern-classical architectural style of the early 20th century and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. Originally comprising about 10 large and small structures, the palace now only retains three: the main gate, Trung Lap hall, and Khai Tuong pavilion, after over 100 years of war destruction.

Viewed from Phan Dinh Phung street, the main gate is built in a triple gate style using bricks, consisting of two tiers, intricately decorated with relief porcelain and glass. Familiar decorative motifs such as dragons, lions, and phoenixes are present. The gate's arch bears the relief inscription 'An Dinh Palace,' and there are also pairs of faux Roman-style pillars.

Behind the main gate, in the middle of the courtyard, is Trung Lap hall serving as a partition, a common architectural feature in the Nguyen dynasty, often seen in mausoleums, ancestral shrines, or communal houses. Trung Lap hall has an octagonal shape with a two-tiered ancient-style roof.

The roof of the hall is adorned with 12 dragons symbolizing flying in all directions. Inside the hall, there is a life-sized bronze statue of King Khai Dinh, cast in 1920.

The focal point of the entire palace is Khai Tuong Pavilion, characterized by European-influenced architecture. The name 'Khai Tuong' was personally bestowed by King Khai Dinh, symbolizing a place of auspicious beginnings.

Khai Tuong Pavilion consists of three floors constructed with new materials in the style of European castles. The front facade is intricately adorned with motifs blending modern Roman styles with Eastern court motifs.

The pavilion comprises a total of 22 rooms, including 7 lavishly decorated rooms on the first floor, 8 activity and rest rooms on the second floor, and 7 former residence and shrine rooms on the third floor.

The grand hall of Khai Tuong Pavilion stands out with six vivid wall paintings depicting six tombs: from the tombs of Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Dong Khanh to the tomb of King Khai Dinh himself.

Notably, the painting of King Khai Dinh's tomb does not resemble its present appearance as it was based solely on his draft at the time of painting. These paintings had deteriorated significantly but were restored to their original state by German experts.

The identity of the author(s) of these six paintings remains a secret to this day. Nevertheless, all are regarded as masterpieces of Vietnamese art from the early 20th century.

An Dinh Palace can be considered a masterpiece of modern architectural art, distinct from other architectural works of the same period in the ancient capital of Hue. Visit An Dinh Palace to delve deeper into the history of feudalism, and don't forget to follow Mytour's blog for more insightful articles!

By Mytour

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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide