An Dinh Palace In Hue: Asian – European Architectural Masterpiece

By huynhtuyen | Posted in Hue | August 6, 2024

An Dinh Palace is not only a tourist attraction but also one of the famous architecture works of the Nguyen Dynasty. With its peaceful and ancient beauty, this attraction always attracts many tourists to come and discover it every year. Let’s explore the beauty of this historical attraction with us now.

Introduction about An Dinh Palace Hue

The history of An Dinh Palace Hue

An Dinh Palace was originally built and renovated on the old expanded site of An Dinh Palace – the palace granted by the royal court to Prince Nguyen Phuoc Buu Dao in 1902.

The Nguyen Dynasty ruled that married princes and princesses would be granted their own palace to live in. During Hue’s peak, hundreds of palaces—both large and small—were built for princes and princesses to reside in.

An Dinh Palace 19th century — 19th century documentary photo

The ancient An Dinh Palace was not very large in scale, built in the traditional Hue style with communal houses, rockery screens, gardens…

In 1916, Prince Buu Dao ascended the throne, taking the reign name Khai Dinh. King Khai Dinh wanted to preserve the memory of his place. The king used his own money to buy more land and expand the site to over 23,400 square meters. He built An Dinh Palace in a new architectural style the next year.

After 2 years of construction, a massive and magnificent palace was completed. That is An Dinh Palace nowadays.

Where is An Dinh Palace?

An Dinh Palace faces south, towards the An Cuu River. This palace has flat terrain and covers a total area of 23,463 m². Additionally, it is surrounded by a 0.5 m thick, 1.8 m high brick wall and an iron fence.

Along with other architectural works of the Khai Dinh period such as the Khai Dinh mausoleum, Kien Trung floor, Hien Nhon gate,… An Dinh Palace is considered a typical representative of Vietnamese architectural style in the neoclassical period.

An Dinh Palace today — An Dinh Palace seen from Phan Chu Trinh Street

Nowadays, this palace is located right on the bank of the An Cuu River, 179 Phan Dinh Phung Street, Phu Nhuan Ward, Hue City.

Opening hour and Entrance fee

An Dinh Palace is open daily from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Entrance ticket is 50,000 VND/adult and free for children under 12 years. However, to ensure your visit goes smoothly, you should check the official website or consult local tourism information for the latest details on the palace’s opening hours and fees, as entrance fees and opening hours will depend on the season.

How to get to An Dinh Palace

Because this attraction is located in Hue city center, there will be many kinds of transport to go to An Dinh Palace. From a Hue private car or taxi to a motorcycle and bicycle, it will depend on your budget and your time in Hue and also Vietnam.

The Architecture of An Dinh Palace Hue

The Main Entrance

The main gate of An Dinh Palace sits at the center of the south side, built in an arch style. Above is a gazebo, and the gate’s body and roof feature Chinese motifs and parallel sentences. The main gate of this palace is considered one of the most unique architectural features of this palace because it is designed in the style of a three-entrance gate with two floors.

Moreover, the details around the gate are decorated with embossed porcelain, looking very elaborate and bold Vietnam’s tradition. You can also see at the top of the roof on the upper floor, there is also a large pearl symbol.

Trung Lap Bower

Stepping through the main gate, you will see Trung Lap Bower with a lovely octagonal structure placed on a two-story high platform. The roof of the communal house is divided into two layers; the lower layer has 8 edges, and the upper layer has 4 edges. The edges are embossed and decorated with 12 dragons as if flying in the 4 directions of the universe.

Furthermore, inside this bower is a bronze statue of King Khai Dinh, which was cast in 1920 and measured to the correct proportions. This is a statue cast by a Quang Nam craftsman according to a 1/1 scale model, cast in Hue and inaugurated in July 1924, before the King’s Tu Tuan Dai Khanh (40th birthday) of the king.

Therefore, when you look at this statue, you will feel like a real person because every detail and pattern on the statue is sculpted very meticulously and sophisticatedly.

Khai Tuong Pavilion

Behind Trung Lap Bower is Khai Tuong Lau. Khai Dinh King named it “Khai Tuong”, with the meaning of the place where good news begins. The building covers 745 square meters and has 3 floors with 22 rooms in total. The first floor has 7 rooms mainly for receiving guests. The second floor has 8 rooms, used for living, and the third floor includes 7 rooms, mainly used for worship.

All architectural works of Khai Tuong Pavilion were European architecture. Furthermore, this house not only impresses with its exterior design but is also extremely elaborately decorated with many materials brought from Europe. Among them are murals of high artistic value and furniture placed on the first floor.

First floor — French style architecture on the 1st floor

Additionally, the lobby area is very eye-catching, with six paintings hanging on the wall in wooden frames. The frames feature carvings of lotus leaves and apricot flowers. The blend of traditional patterns with Western decorative patterns creates an extremely attractive and beautiful space.

An Dinh Palace almost still retains the beauty of architectural works over the past 100 years. With the rich history and stunning architecture, this is a must-visit place when you travel to Hue City. Therefore, let’s come and explore this stunning palace now!

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