Minh Mang Tomb: Entrance Fee, History, Constructing

Your vacation in Hue won’t complete if you don’t visit and learn about some magnificent royal tombs. This is the opportunity to discover the feudal period of Vietnam and biography of 13 kings in Nguyen dynasty. The tombs in Hue are popular with their own architectures and histories. Nowadays, Hue remains and develop 7 royal tombs which have catched the attention of internationak and domestic tourists. In this article, we are sharing information about one of a famous royal tomb which is Minh Mang tomb. This poetic resting place of Minh Mang king is a highligh for every visitor.

Where is Minh Mang tomb?

Minh Mang royal tomb is located in Huong Tho Commune, Huong Tra District, Thua Thien Hue province. It is situated about 12 kilometers southwest of the heart of Hue city. Visiting this tomb is easy for every traveler, you can have multipule choices of transports such as by private car, taxi, motorbike, boat or even bicycle. Usually, the duration is 30 – 40 minutes to travel to Minh Mang tomb but it is also depending on vehicles which you will choose.

Biography of Minh Mang King

Minh Mang king was born in May 4^th,1792 and passed way in Nov 21th, 1841. He was famous for his anti-Western poliies, especially his persecution of Christian missionaries. He was on the throne in 21 years which are from 1820 to 1841.

Minh Mang king is considered one of the best king in Nguyen dynasty. Under his reign, there were many new policies which changed to help the locals have better life. Nguyen Phuc Dam is his real name, he was the fourth prince of Gia Long.

After king Gia Long, he was chosen become the second king of the Nguyen dynasty. Then he changed his name to Minh Mang. He was such a smart king that made everyone admire. During the time he managed the country, the territory expanded and many diplomatic works improved and reformed to stablize the country.

The architecture of Minh Mang tomb

The pictureque of Minh Mang tomb has impressed thousand travelers by traditional Vietnamese architecture. It is the reflection of Nguyen’s dynasty’s philosophy and aesthetics. The tomb is covered by nature such as lush green forests and lakes. This poetic view has healed our mental health effectively. The area of 18 hectares is large and it always take an hour to discover. There are three main areas which we should explore at Minh Mang tomb such as the Honour Courtyard, the Stele House and the Tomb.

The tomb was built follow the symmetric axis. This means all the attractions which are situated in one line. Especially, people think the shape of Minh Mang tomb looks like a human lying in the mountain. The tomb area is the head, two lakes represent for two arms and the axis of tomb attractions is the body. This masterpiece of royal tomb has made the curiosity in travelers ‘explorations.

The process construction of Minh Mang tomb.

After enthronement 7 years which is 1827, Minh Mang king asked the mandarins choose the quite place to build the tomb for his resting place. A plot of Cam Ke Mountain which is connected with poetic Perfume River became his consideration. In 1840, the approvement of royal tomb proposal started.

During the period of construction, Minh Mang king firstly changed the name Cam Ke mountain to Hieu Son, then the tomb is called Hieu Lang. Two people were being responsible of tomb architecture deisgns are Bui Cong Huyen and Truong Dang Que. They were mandarins of emperor’s court. And, three other mandarins named Le Dang Danh, Nguyen Trung Mau and Ly Van Phuc were in charge of managing construction process.

Regretably, while the tomb were still in construction, Minh Mang king felt ill and passed away in January, 1841. Then, Thieu Tri king which is the third king in Nguyen dynasty, he continued to build the tomb for his father. On August 20^th, 1841, the corpse of King Minh Mang was buried in Buu Thanh even the construction was completely finish in 1843.

Thanks to a masterpice landscape ideas from Minh Mang king, this attraction has became famous to many visitors. It is not only bringing special architecture designs but also the ideological values to Hue city.

The attractions to see at Minh Mang tomb

Dai Hong Mon gate

Dai Hong Mon gate is the first attraction that visitors will enter to visit the whole construction in Minh Mang tomb. The ancient appearance of this gate will impress you with traditional entrance desgins of Vietnam. The gate has three doors with an arched shape in Nguyen dynasty. Materials to build this gate were brick, lime and cement.

The height of the gate is 9 meter and 12 meter in width. The mossy gate mark long period to preserve this ancient heritage of the government. The main door Dai Hong Mon only opened one time for people bring coffin of the king to inside for burry. Due to the locked door, nowadays tourists can enter the tomb from two side doors.

Bai Dinh Yard

After sightseeing and learning about Dai Hong Mon gate, the next place is Bai Dinh Yard. It is a large place where preserve all statues of mandarins, elephants, horses, and soldiers. This is not unusual thing for people when visiting kings’ tombs.

The statues represent and symply the meaning that they are still courtiers protecting the tomb even he already passed away. In addition, all the trees around yard also bring such a fresh, peace and harmonial atmostphere. You will feel calm and relax when you enter to the tomb.

The Stele House

A small house with a special place to learn and discover the biography and achievements of Minh Mang King. The writtent artifact were made by Thieu Tri king whom is the son of Minh Mang emperor.

This place honor tremendous achivements of the king during the time he mananged the country. The writen in the stele is in Nom language in Vietnam but tourists often called Chinese. This historical and cultural values provide impressive inights of Vietnam during Nguyen dynasty.

Minh Lau Pavilion

Minh Lau Pavilion is the high building compare to other attractions in Minh Mang tomb. This is a perfect place for resting and enjoy the whole beauty of mausoleum. Beside that, small gardens which are decorate surround Minh Lau are also attractive for visitors can immerge the harmony view. In the past, when the tomb were in construction, Minh Mang king usually visited this place to rest and compose the poem. Nature around brought positive energy to the king’s works. It is such an ourstanding place to discover.

Hien Duc Gate

This is the entrance lead to Sung An temple where local people worship the king and queen. The tradiational entrance of Vietnam architecture with 3 entrances. The middle door is locked because it was using for the king to get in. The decoration of Hien Duc gate meticulously intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes. In addion, the tile-roof door style have brought impression to many visitors.

Sung An Temple

Sung An Temple is a worship area for locals and visitors come to visit Miing Mang tomb. This special place is an important building for prayers. This place has altars for worship memory culture of Emperor and his Empress. The courtyards of Sung An are flanked by Left and Right Temples in the front and Left and Right Rooms behind.

Buu Thanh

Buu Thanh is the last attraction that you will visit. It was built by cement and brick. This is the resting in peace place of Minh Mang king. The place is symbolyze as the sun and it is considered as an important area where no one allow to enter because it is locked. The people burried the king body somewhere in inside, its stil a mystery until today. The grave of Minh Mang king is protected under the shadow of pine trees.

Minh Mang tomb entrance fee

Similarity with other attractions in Hue, travelers have to buy the entrance ticket to visit Minh Mang tomb. The price is 150,000 VND for adult and 30,000 VND for children under 6 years old. In additional, there are some types of ticket like combo which you can purchase if you want to visit other royal attractions in Hue at the same day.

It will be lower price if you buy combo tickets and visit up to 3 -4 different royal places. You can ask the staff at ticket center directly when you buy the entrance fee.

How to travel to Minh Mang tomb

As we mentioned above, there are some interesting ways to travel to Minh Mang tomb. The following provide in detail that you might consider:

Travel by private car/ taxi:

This is the best transfer you might find to travel to Minh Mang tomb. The duration of travel is around 20 – 30 minutes by car. Professional and friendly chauffeurs will pick up and drop off at the requested desitinations. You will have free time to sightseeing the attraction and the driver will wait you outside the tomb. Explore Vietnam provide private car transfer so you might consider to contact us to book this service. Our driver speak basic English and he can share some facts about Hue on the route to you.

Travel by boat:

One of interesting ways to travel to Minh Mang tomb is by boat. There are many dragon boats in the city center which especially is in boat station location. You can book a boat to visit Minh Mang tomb. It usually takes over an hour to reach the destination by boat. This is a pleasant way to enjoy the landscapes in both sides as well as Perfume River. You also can contact us for this boat service.

Travel by motorbike:

If you are an adventerous visitor, you can rent a motorbike to discover Hue especially Minh Mang tomb. There are many motorbike renting shops in the city center, you can rent a bike for one day sightseeing. The duration to travel from city center to Minh Mang tomb is 30 – 50 minutes by motorbike. With renting a motorbike full-day sightseeing, you also can visit other attractions as well.

Conclusion

Mausoleum Minh Mang is a magnificent attraction which you do not miss in your travel list. Rich histories and impressive architectures are waiting you to discover. This UNESCO World Heritage is awe-inspiring place to every travelưer, you will feel calm and peace when you enter to the tomb. Fascinating stories of the tomb and king are informative and attractive facts to learn about feudal period of Vietnam. We hope this article is useful for your travel itinerary in Hue city. Do not hesitate to contact us for any travel requests.