An icon of the Nguyen Dynasty, Imperial City of Hue

#tripblazers The last monarch dynasty of Vietnam is ruled by the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 - 1945. This citadel is served as the forbidden city of the Nguyen Imperial family during their reign. It was built under the order of the first Emperor Gia Long in 1803, who shifted the capital from Thang Long (Hanoi currently) to Hue, which is also the seat of the Nguyen family. The monarch consulted the geomancer on which direction should the gates and the Emperor's seat should face during the construction. There is also a moat constructed encircling the citadel to protect it against foreign invasion. This citadel has served as the seat of the monarch until Emperor Bao Dai's abdication in 1945. It suffered heavy damages due to the 2 wars in 1947 and 1968, and major restoration works are still ongoing to rebuild the citadel to its original form.