Royal garden – a masterpiece at Hue Citadel

VietNamNet Bridge - Under the Nguyen kings, beautiful royal gardens were built inside the Hue Citadel. Today, some of them are still well preserved.

VietNamNet Bridge - Under the Nguyen kings, beautiful royal gardens were built inside the Hue Citadel. Today, some of them are still well preserved.

The first royal gardens were built by Nguyen Lords, about 400 years ago.

Hue’s royal gardens reached their most brilliant period under the Nguyen kings, mainly from Minh Mang to Thieu Tri (1820-1847). Nearly 30 royal gardens of all types covering hundreds of hectares were built during this period.

Royal gardens were once the pride of Nguyen kings and Hue’s writers and poets.

Of the 20 most famous landscapes of Hue in the mid-nineteenth century, there were up to seven royal gardens: Ngu Vien, Thieu Phuong, Ho Hau, Truong Ninh, Tinh Tam, Thu Quang, and Thuong Mau, which accounted for 1/4 of the total area of the royal citadel. There were also smaller royal gardens inside the citadels, which created a unique environment and landscape.

These royal gardens were the home to the rarest and most beautiful trees of the country, ranging from ornamental to fruit trees.

Among dozens of the Nguyen Dynasty’s royal gardens, Ha Co is considered a masterpiece.

According to historical records of the Nguyen Dynasty: Originally, Ha Co was the place where Prince Nguyen Phuc Dam (ie King Minh Mang later) studied.

In 1837, the garden was repaired and expanded. In 1843, this place was upgraded once again to become the Ha Co royal garden.

At the end of the Nguyen Dynasty, due to lack of care, the garden seriously degraded. In 1905, this area became the house of soldiers.

In 2012, the 16,800 m2 Ha Co royal garden was restored by the Center for Conservation of Hue Monuments. It opened for the public on the occasion of the Hue Festival of the same year.

In 2014, a project to restore the Thieu Phuong royal garden was launched. This project is expected to be completed very soon.