Tomb of Tu Duc
A retreat palace turned tomb, around a lotus lake — and the emperor is not in it.
Duration
1 hr – 1 hr 30 min
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
Tu Duc reigned thirty-five years, the longest of the Nguyen, and had this estate built in his lifetime between 1864 and 1867: twelve hectares of pavilions, pines and a lotus-covered lake where he came to write poems and hunt. He lived in it before being buried there.
His stele, the heaviest in Vietnam, carries an epitaph he wrote himself acknowledging his failures — unique in the dynasty. But his tomb is empty: two hundred servants buried his body in a place kept secret, then were beheaded so that nobody would know where.
Getting there
Seven kilometres south of Hue, on the west bank of the Perfume river. By scooter, taxi, or dragon boat from the centre.
What the price covers
paid entry, rate to be checked on site
Rules on site
The estate is hilly and the pavilions are linked by uneven stone steps, slippery after rain. Allow a full hour of walking.
