An Dinh Palace

An Dinh was built between 1917 and 1919 for Khai Dinh while he was crown prince, and it is a deliberate departure: a two-storey palace in a European classical idiom with stucco ornament, columns and a mosaic-covered gate, rather than the Vietnamese timber halls of the citadel. Inside, the ground floor rooms carry murals of the imperial tombs painted directly onto the walls, restored with German assistance after long neglect. After the abdication of Bao Dai in 1945 his mother, the empress dowager Tu Cung, lived here until the 1960s. It is part of the Hue monuments inscription.

What you actually see

• A European-style Nguyen palace - built 1917 to 1919.
• Murals of the imperial tombs - painted on the ground floor walls.
• A restoration with German help - after decades of neglect.
• Where the dowager empress lived - after the dynasty ended in 1945.

When to go

Year round. An hour.

Honest expectations

Much of the building is empty rooms - the murals and the architecture are the content. Restoration has been partial and some areas are closed. It is quieter than the citadel, which is a point in its favour.

Nearby

The citadel is across the river; Truong Tien bridge is north.