Khai Dinh Tomb

Khai Dinh Tomb is the last work of the Nguyen Dynasty, is the most prominent of all other tombs thanks to modern materials and the influence of foreign architecture.

Introduction about Khai Dinh Tomb

Khai Dinh Tomb is a place to visit in Hue, which leaves a lot of impression on visitors because of its unique architecture full of artistic value expressed in the project. It is a work with a unique architecture that blends the modernity of Europe and the classic Vietnamese characters.

Khai Dinh tomb

Under the reign of Khai Dinh (1916-1925), Vietnamese sovereignty was fully absorbed into the hands of French colonialists. Western art and culture were actively penetrating in the country. So, in Khai Dinh Tomb, several modern elements have infringed on the traditional architecture of the nation.

On to architecture, Khai Dinh Tomb was considered out of the traditional architecture of the Nguyen dynasty because of the new, strange, and unique features created from the style.

People started to build the tomb on September 4, 1920, and lasted for 11 years to complete. Compared to the 6 tombs of the Nguyen kings, Khai Dinh Tomb is the last mausoleum, and the narrowest architectural ground, but this is the most demanding work on time, effort and money with the convergence of a lot of famous craftsmen and artisans throughout the country such as Phan Van Tanh, Nguyen Van Kha, Ky Duyet, Cuu Sung.

Khai Dinh Tomb architecture

Khai Dinh Tomb has an extraordinary architecture, unlike the tombs of previous kings. It is a mixture of many different architectural schools.

The space inside Khai Dinh tomb

Khai Dinh Tomb can make tourists overwhelmed because of the rectangular-shaped architecture reaching 127 levels, influenced by many architectural schools such as Hinduism (tower-shaped gate), Buddhism (pillars of the stoupa form), Roman Gothic architecture (tall octagonal columns, high arches), etc.

The mausoleum is built with modern materials such as iron, steel, cement, Ardoise tile, etc., imported from France. The entire interior in the 3 middle spaces in Thien Dinh Palace is decorated with porcelain and glass sculptures made from China and Japan.

Thien Dinh Palace, the burial place of Khai Dinh king, is the place with the most unique and artistic value until this day in Hue. On three floors, the "Cuu Long An Van" (nine dragons hidden in the cloud) is made from porcelain and rare stones imported from China and Japan.

Khai Dinh Tomb has an extraordinary architecture

The removal of the green color of the old trees and the absence of the lake surface in the mausoleum make the overall architecture from the first level to the 127th level lack the softness and freshness. The heavy concrete block of the whole tomb and the big dragons makes the Khai Dinh Tomb different from other Nguyen kings before.