Tomb of Khai Dinh
One of the watch towers at Tomb of Khai Dinh
Taking off from Tomb of Tú Ðúc in Hue, we drove of for a few minutes up to a hill top where another Tomb is nestled among its lush greenery. The impressive Tomb of Khai Dinh, with intricately dragon-adorned tier of stairs, gates and structures, is one of the well preserved tombs in the area. Constructed for over 11 years since 1920 (though Emperor Khai Dinh ruled only for 9 years in Vietnam during), the tomb has some Western influence since the emperor himself was able to visit France.
The Honor Courtyard
As usual, there’s the 55000 Dong entrance fee by the gate. There were a number of crowds already there since it’s almost mid-day, and the sun was already glaring high and from its direction it was quite tricky to take a good shot. The first flight of stairs (said to be 36 steps within 4 banister dragons) leads to a courtyard. Then another flight of stairs leads to the stele pavilion at the center of the Honor Courtyard.
Gate Guardians
It is here where you can find rows of elephants and military official’s statues on each side of the level, serving as guardians. The watch towers in this area utilized lightning rods during construction.
Thien Dinh building
Another flight of stairs lead to the Thien Dinh building, the main structure in the tomb complex. I must admit the walls are quite intricate in its designs here and wait till you get inside.
statue of Emperor Khai Dinh
Found inside the building is the statue of Emperor Khai Dinh sitting beneath a concrete canopy. The interior is just a ceramic wonder. Making use of bits of broken glass and porcelain embedded in cement placed in an amazing detailed pattern adorn the walls.
View from the tomb complex
Going down is also a treat. Since this structure is atop a hill, the view was quite spectacular going down.
Tags: Heritage, Hue, Structures, Tomb of Khai Dinh, Tombs, Vietnam
Posted on
Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 2:06 pm 
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September 24th, 2006 at 8:46 am
Amazing architecture! Beautiful.
It is nice that it wasn’t destroyed during the war.
I am very impressed by the interior (the statue of the emperor).
September 24th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
nakakahanga ang gawa nila, at mukhang maraming matutunan ang mga bibisita dyan. magkano naman ang halaga 55000 Dong sa peso, kung magkano man yun mukhang worth sa pagbisita dyan
September 24th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
Great pics. The aged stonework reminds me of Borobodur. I could see the Rococo influence in the pictures of the interior. It’s amazing how much ancient empires devote to tombs. The notion of immortality evident also in Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Indian and Chinese architecture.
September 25th, 2006 at 8:08 am
Wow! Very nice.
Thank God they weren’t destroyed during the war.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:25 am
beautiful place….intesting mixed of architecture style…nice capture:-))
September 25th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
totoong structures ba yan?? parang pininta lan ,… sobrang ganda
September 25th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
seems like a nice place to visit ….
September 26th, 2006 at 11:17 am
talaga naman si bro ferdz! ang mga exotic travels! anyway, thanks for dropping by bro. next time, dayhike tayo nila cruise! some mountain na hindi pa natin lahat naaakyat.