After we checked into the hotel, we took a morning tour to Majestic Forbidden City. This was where the Vietnamese Emperors used to stay in the 18 century. As we were approaching the Citidel, we were greeted by 11 Canons, 4 on one side and 5 on another side. These canons have never fire before. They are named after the four directions (North, South, East and West) and the five elements that make up the earth (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth).
The entire palace took a total of 27 years to build. The tour guide further explained 2 unusual characteristics of the palace. The architecture of the court room was designed such that the king who sit in the centre of the court room could clearly hear the sound made from every part of the room. And the selection of building material has made the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Unfortunately, the grand king and empress palaces were both destroyed during the Vietnam War.
This animal statue was created to protect the palace. It was made up of body part from 7 different animals! Head of a lion, feet of a crocodile, tail of a rooster, moustache from a goat,etc. Can’t remember the rest.
Dee is as tall as the 1st emperor of Vietnam.
We also visited the king’s tomb. Every king had a grand burial. Their body was buried with precious gold and jewels in the tomb. According to the tour guide, the French excavated the tomb and took away all the valuables during the French occupation. It was believed that these items were currently exhibited in French museum.
The uneven ground was the result of excavation
On the way back, we visited a place which made incense sticks. Look at display of the colorful incense sticks!
In the evening, we attended a traditional ‘opera’ like performance on a boat in the perfume river.
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