Hue Citadel

The small city of Hue in central Vietnam was the nation’s capital from 1802 to 1945, under the 13 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. There the emperor lived in regal splendor in a series of walled cities rivaling (and influenced by) China’s Forbidden City. The wars that swept Vietnam in the mid-20th century left much of the imperial city in ruins. Despite Vietnam’s ambivalence about its past monarchy, the imperial city is gradually being restored and has become a major draw for foreign tourists.