The Citadel

The Imperial City at Hue, also known as Citadel, was built on the same principles as the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is surrounded by 7-10m thick outer walls, moats and canals. Construction began in 1804 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long. The Citadel contains several buildings, pavilions and temples. Within the Citadel is an area called "Purple Forbidden City", where the Vietnamese emperors built palaces, gates, and courtyards that served as their residence and administrative centre. In 1968, during the Hue battle, American bombs blasted the majority of the Citadel into rubble, sparing only a handful of buildings.