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(? in ch? Nôm) is the capital city of Th?a Thiên - Hu? province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguy?n Dynasty. As such, it is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people.
originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguy?n Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century.
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(? in ch? Nôm) is the capital city of Th?a Thiên - Hu? province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguy?n Dynasty. As such, it is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people.
History
Hu? originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguy?n Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trinh Sam captured it, it was known as Phú Xuân. In 1802, Nguy?n Phúc Ánh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Hu? the national capital.
Hu? was the national capital until 1945, when Emperor B?o Ð?i abdicated and a Communist government was established in Hà N?i (Hanoi), in the north. While B?o Ð?i was briefly proclaimed "Head of State" with the help of the returning French colonialists in 1949 (although not with recognition from the Communists and the full acceptance of the Vietnamese people), his new capital was Sài Gòn (Saigon), in the south.
In the Vietnam War, Hu?'s central position placed it very near the border between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The city was located in the South. In the T?t Offensive of 1968, during the Battle of Hue, the city suffered considerable damage not only to its physical features, but its reputation as well, most of it from American firepower and bombings on the historical buildings as well as the now infamous massacre at Hu? committed by the Communist forces. After the war's conclusion, many of the historic features of Hu? were neglected, being seen by the victorious regime and some other Vietnamese as "relics from the feudal regime", but there has since been a change of policy, and some parts of the historic city have been restored.
Geography
The city is located in central Vietnam on the banks of the Sông Huong (Huong River), just a few miles inland from the Bi?n Ðông. It is about 700 km (438 mi.) south of the national capital of Hanoi and about 1100 km (690 mi.) north of H? Chí Minh City, the country's largest city formerly known as Saigon.
Historic monuments
Hu? is perhaps best known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The seat of the Nguyen emperors was in the Citadel, which occupies a large, walled area on the north side of the river. Inside the citadel was a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them were granted access, the punishment for trespassing being death. Today, little of the forbidden city remains, though reconstruction efforts are in progress to maintain it as a tourist attraction as a view of the history of Hu?.
Roughly along the Perfume River from Hu? lie myriad other monuments, including the tombs of several emperors such as Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, Tu Duc, and others. Also notable is the Thien Mu Pagoda, located not far from the city centre along the river, the largest pagoda in Hu? and chosen as the official symbol of the city.
The Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts on 3 Le Truc Street also maintains a collection of various artifacts from the city.
Administrative divisions
Hu? comprises 27 administrative divisions, including 24 phu?ng (urban wards) and 3 xã (rural communes):
Urban wards
- An C?u
- An Ðông
- An Hoà
- An Tây
- Huong So
- Kim Long
- Phú Bình
- Phú Cát
- Phú H?u
- Phú Hi?p
- Phú Hòa
- Phú H?i
- Phú Nhu?n
- Phú Thu?n
- Phu?c Vinh
- Phu?ng Ðúc
- Tây L?c
- Thu?n Hòa
- Thu?n L?c
- Thu?n Thành
- Tru?ng An
- Vinh Ninh
- V? D?
- Xuân Phú
Rural communes
- Huong Long
- Th?y Bi?u
- Th?y Xuân
Cuisine
The cuisine of Hu? draws from throughout Vietnam, but one of the most striking differences is the prominence of vegetarianism in the city. Several all-vegetarian restaurants are scattered in various corners of the city to serve the locals who have a strong tradition of eating vegetarian twice a month, as part of their Buddhist beliefs.
Pictures
See also
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