Complex of Hué Monuments


World Heritage Identification Number: 678

World Heritage since: 1993

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇻🇳 Viet Nam

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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Complex of Hué Monuments: A Cultural and Religious Centre of Unified Viet Nam

The Complex of Hué Monuments, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, offers a captivating glimpse into the rich history and culture of Vietnam. Situated along the picturesque Perfume River, this architectural ensemble serves as a testament to the grandeur and significance of Hué as the political, cultural, and religious capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City, giving this unique feudal capital a setting of great natural beauty.

Encyclopedia Record: Imperial City of Huế

The Imperial City or Imperial Palace also known as Đại Nội (大內), is a royal enclosure within the walled city of Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty. It contains the palaces that housed the imperial family, as well as shrines, gardens, and offices for mandarins. Constructed in 1804 under Emperor Gia Long as a new capital and later re-modelled and enlarged to its current scale in 1833, it mostly served as a ceremonial function and imperial residence during the French colonial period. After the end of the monarchy in 1945, it suffered heavy damage and neglect during the Indochina Wars through the 1980s. The Imperial City was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 as part of the Complex of Huế Monuments and is undergoing restoration.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 315.47 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 16.46944 , 107.57778

Image

Image of Complex of Hué Monuments

© https://www.flickr.com/photos/sixty4coupe/, CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

My Son Sanctuary
96 km — Viet Nam
Hoi An Ancient Town
104 km — Viet Nam
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park
207 km — Lao People's Democratic Republic, Viet Nam
Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape
260 km — Lao People's Democratic Republic
Temple of Preah Vihear
387 km — Cambodia

Country Information: Viet Nam

Flag of Viet Nam

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Capital: Hanoi

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 100,987,686

Population (2023): 100,352,192

Population (2022): 99,680,655

Land Area: 313,430 sq km

Currency: Vietnamese đồng (VND)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Complex of Hué Monuments are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Imperial City of Huế, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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