Ho Quyen

Ho Quyen was built in 1830 under Minh Mang as a purpose-built arena for combats between elephants and tigers, replacing earlier arrangements on an island in the river. It is a circle of brick and earth about forty-five metres across with a wall some five metres high, five tiger cages set into one side, and a raised gallery for the emperor. The outcome was not in doubt: the elephant represented the dynasty and was meant to win, and the tigers had their claws and often their teeth removed before being released. The last combat was held in 1904. The structure survives complete in a residential district.

What you actually see

• A brick arena of 1830 - about forty-five metres across.
• Five tiger cages in the wall - with the imperial gallery opposite.
• Fights the elephant was meant to win - the tigers disarmed beforehand.
• The last combat in 1904 - and the structure intact since.

When to go

Year round. An hour.

Honest expectations

There is no interpretation on site beyond a sign and no facilities. It sits among houses and is easy to miss. What happened here was deliberate cruelty for symbolic purposes, and the site is not presented as anything else.

Nearby

Hue's citadel is east; the Thien Mu pagoda is north on the river.