Huế, formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province, is a municipality in central Vietnam, located approximately at the center of the country, and an educational, medical, and cultural hub. It borders Quảng Trá» to the north, ÃÂàNẵng to the south, the Laos provinces of Salavan and Sekong to the west and the South China Sea to the east. As one of the country's six direct-controlled municipalities, Huế falls under the administration of the central government. It has 128 km of coastline, 22,000 ha of lagoons and over 200,000 ha of forest. The city is located in the middle of the North Central and South Central regions (including the South Central Coast and Central Highlands), and is transitional in geology, climate, administrative division, and local culture.
Huế was historically part of ThuáºÂn Hóa, a territory ceded by Champa to ÃÂại Viá»Ât in 1306 as a wedding dowry. Huế (then known as Phú Xuân) became the provincial capital in 1687, the capital of ÃÂàng Trong from 1738 to 1775, and the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyá» n dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the Imperial Citadel and administrative capital of the Nguyá» n dynasty, and later also functioned as capital of the protectorate of Annam during the colonial French Indochina period.
Huế is a tourist destination with UNESCO-designated complex of imperial palaces, tombs and temples. Alongside its moat and stone walls, the complex encompasses the Imperial City of Huế, with palaces and shrines; the Forbidden Purple City, once the emperor's home; a replica of the Royal Theater; and temples and monuments on the city's outskirts.
Regarding the place name, according to some information:
The oldest ruins in Huế belong to the Kingdom of Lâm Ấp, dating back to the 4th century AD. The ruins of its capital, the ancient city of Kandarpapura (lit. 'the city where à Âiva burnt Kama'), is later located in Long Tho Hill, three kilometers to the west of the city. Kandarpapura might have only been established during the reign of Kandarpadharma (r. 629âÂÂ640) and it was named after the king, certainly it may be not the name of the capital of former Lâm Ấp kingdom. Another Champa ruin in the vicinity, the ancient city of Hoa Chau is dated back to the 9th century.
In 1306, the King of Champa, Che Man offered Vietnam two Cham prefectures, àand Lý, in exchange for marriage with a Vietnamese (Trần dynasty) princess named Huyá»Ân Trân. The Vietnamese King Trần Anh Tông accepted this offer. He took and renamed àand Lý prefectures to ThuáºÂn prefecture and Hóa prefecture, respectively, the two being sometimes referred collectively to as ThuáºÂn Hóa region.
In 1592, the Mạc dynasty was forced to flee to Cao Bằng province and the Lê emperors were enthroned as de jure Vietnamese rulers under the leadership of Nguyá» n Kim, the leader of Lê dynasty loyalists. Later, Kim was poisoned by a Mạc dynasty general which paved the way for his son-in-law, Trá»Ânh Kiá»Âm, to take over the leadership. Kim's eldest son, Nguyen Uông, was also assassinated in order to secure Trá»Ânh Kiá»Âm's authority. Nguyá» n Hoàng, another son of Nguyá» n Kim, feared a fate like Nguyá» n Uông's so he pretended to have a mental illness. He asked his sister Ngoc Bao, who was a wife of Trá»Ânh Kiá»Âm, to entreat Trá»Ânh Kiá»Âm to let Nguyá» n Hoàng govern ThuáºÂn Hóa, the furthest south region of Vietnam at that time.
Because Mạc dynasty loyalists were revolting in ThuáºÂn Hóa, and Trá»Ânh Kiá»Âm was busy fighting the Mạc dynasty's forces in northern Vietnam during this time, Ngoc Bao's request was approved, and Nguyá» n Hoàng went south. After Hoàng pacified ThuáºÂn Hóa, he and his heir Nguyá» n Phúc Nguyên secretly made this region loyal to the Nguyá» n family; then they rose against the Trá»Ânh lords. Vietnam erupted into a new civil war between two de facto ruling families: the clan of the Nguyá» n lords and the clan of the Trá»Ânh lords.
Tây Sán rebellions broke out in 1771 and occupied an area from Quy Nhon to Bình ThuáºÂn province, thereby weakening the authority and power of the Nguyá» n lords. While the war between Tây Sán rebellion and Nguyá» n lord was being fought, the Trá»Ânh lords sent south an army and captured Phú Xuân in 1775. After the capture of Phú Xuân, the Trá»Ânh lords' general Hoàng Ngà © Phúc made a tactical alliance with Tây Sán and withdrew almost all troops to Tonkin and left some troops in Phú Xuân. In 1786, Tây Sán rebellion defeated the Trá»Ânh garrison and occupied Phú Xuân. Under the reign of the emperor Quang Trung, Phú Xuân became the Tây Sán dynasty capital.
In 1802, Nguyen ÃÂnh, a successor of the Nguyá» n lords, recaptured Phú Xuân and unified the country. Nguyá» n ÃÂnh rebuilt the citadel entirely and made it the Imperial City capital of all of Vietnam. Nguyá» n Phúc ÃÂnh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Huế the national capital.
The second emperor of the NguyỠn dynasty to rule from Huế, reigning from his birthday on 14 February 1820 until his death, on 20 January 1841 was Minh Mạng. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Cảnh, had died in 1801. Minh Mạng was known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam, and for his rigid Confucian orthodoxy.
After the French conquest of Vietnam, Phú Xuân was officially renamed to Huế in 1899. It remained the capital of Annam, one of French Indochina's six constituent regions, until the State of Vietnam was established in 1949. Prior to 1975, the province was known simply as Thừa Thiên. During the French colonial period, Huế was in the protectorate of Annam. It remained the seat of the Imperial Palace until 1945, when Emperor Bảo ÃÂại abdicated and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) government was established with its capital at Ha Noi (Hanoi), in the north.
While Bảo ÃÂại was proclaimed "Head of the State of Vietnam" with the help of the returning French colonialists in 1949, his new capital was Saigon, in the south.
The city underwent fighting during the Vietnam War, as it was the second-most northerly province of the South Vietnam, close to the North Vietnamese border (DMZ) at the 17th parallel. 2,893 U.S. soldiers died in Huế, more than in any other Vietnamese province.
After the war's conclusion in 1975, some of the historic features of Huế were neglected because they were seen by the victorious communist regime and some other Vietnamese as "relics from the feudal regime"; the Communist Party of Vietnam (then Workers' Party of Vietnam) doctrine described the NguyỠn dynasty as "feudal" and "reactionary". With the adoption of liberalizing reforms, these hostile policies have been abandoned. Some of the city's historic areas and buildings are undergoing restoration, including the full reconstruction of Kien Trung Palace in 2024, and the city is developing into a tourism and transportation hub for central Vietnam.
In recognition of Huế's rapid development, the city became Vietnam's sixth centrally-governed municipality in 2025. As part of this process, Huế was merged with the rest of Thừa Thiên Huế province to streamline administration. The National Assembly of Vietnam voted and passed a resolution to establish Huế city as a direct-controlled municipality, comprising the entirety of Thừa Thiên Huế province. At the same time, the former provincial city Huế was divided into two new districts, Phú Xuân district and ThuáºÂn Hóa district. Huế municipality officially came into operation in 2025.
The Perfume River passes through the center of the city. The city also accommodates the Tam GiangâÂÂCau Hai lagoon, the largest lagoon in Southeast Asia, which is long with a surface area of . It is divided into four zones: mountainous areas, hills, plains, and lagoons separated from the sea by sandbanks. The city has a coastline of 128 kilometres (80 mi). The mountains, located along the western and southwestern borders, cover more than half of the provinceâÂÂs total area, with elevations ranging from 500 metres (1,600 ft) to 1,480 metres (4,860 ft). The hills, which lie between the mountains and the plains, account for about one-third of the territory and range in height from 20 metres (66 ft) to 200 metres (660 ft), with occasional peaks rising to 400 metres (1,300 ft). The plains occupy roughly one-tenth of the surface area, reaching elevations of up to 20 metres (66 ft) above sea level. The lagoons, located between the hills, represent the remaining 5% of the cityâÂÂs area.
Bạch Mã National Park is a protected area in the city of Huế. The area covers 220 square kilometres (85 sq mi) and is divided into three zones: a strictly protected core area, an administrative area, and a buffer zone.
HuếâÂÂs climate mostly resembles the rest of central Vietnam, characterized as tropical monsoon, while because of the topography and altitude, climatic types occur which can be the same as found in temperate latitudes (A Lðá»Âi and Bạch Mã). In the plains and hills, the average annual temperature is 25 ðC (77 ðF), while in the mountains it is lower, at around (Statistical Yearbook 2004).
The cool season extends from November to March, accompanied by northeasterly winds. January records the lowest average monthly temperature, 20 ðC (68 ðF), though temperatures in the plains can drop to 12 ðC (54 ðF). Relative humidity in this season ranges from 85% to 95%. From April to September, the climate becomes warmer, with average monthly temperatures reaching 29 ðC (84 ðF) in July and extremes of up to 41 ðC (106 ðF). The relative humidity may occasionally decrease to around 50%.
The annual precipitation in the city is , while there are variations. Depending on the year, the annual average may be to in the plains and to in the mountains. In some years the rainfall may be higher and reach more than in the mountains. The rainy season is from September to DecemberâÂÂabout 70% of the precipitation occurring in those months. Rainfall may occur in bursts which can cause flooding and erosion, with social, economic and environmental consequences. The historic floods of November 1999 led to 600 deaths and affected 600,000 homes.
A region known as the "Green Corridor" is home to species. New species of snake, butterfly, and orchid have been found there in 2005 and 2006, as stated by Chris Dickinson of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on 26 September 2007. The scientists discovered 11 new species of plants and animals, including a snake, two butterflies and five leafless orchid varieties. The new snake species is a white-lipped keelback (Hebius leucomystax). The new butterfly species are a skipper from the genus Zela, and the other from Satyrinae. The new plant species also include one in the genus Aspidistra, and a poisonous Arum perennial.
Huế is subdivided into 40 commune-level subdivisions:
The average population of the province is 1,143,572; which consist of approximately 567,253 males and 576,319 females. The rural population is approximately 587,516 while the urban population is 556,056 (2015).
The design of the áo dài, a Vietnamese national costume, developed from the costumes worn by civilians in ÃÂàng Trong in the 18th century after the costume reform of lord Nguyá» n Phúc Khoát. A court historian of the time described the rules of dress as follows:
This outfit evolved into the áo ngà © thân, a type of five-part costume most popular in Vietnam in the 19th and 20th centuries. Inspired by Paris fashions, Nguyá» n Cát Tðá»Âng and other artists associated with Hanoi University redesigned the ngà © thân to create the áo dài in the 1920s and 1930s. While the áo dài and nón lá are seen by some as a symbol of Vietnam as a whole, the combination is seen by Vietnamese as being particularly evocative of Huế. Violet-coloured áo dài are especially common in Huế, the color having a special connection to the city's heritage as a former capital.
The cuisine of Huế forms the heart of Central Vietnamese cuisine, while one of the differences is the prominence of vegetarianism in the city. All-vegetarian restaurants are scattered in corners of the city to serve the locals who have a tradition of eating a vegetarian meal twice a month, as part of their Buddhist beliefs. Nam Châu Há»Âi Quán is a traditional dining hall. Huế dishes are known for their relatively small serving size with refined presentation, a vestige of its royal cuisine. Huế cuisine is notable for often being very spicy.
Huế cuisine has luxurious and popular rustic dishes. It consists of distinctive dishes from small and delicate creations, originally made to please the appetites of Nguyen feudal lords, emperors, and their hundreds of concubines and wives.
Among Buddhist sites in the surrounding midland area of Huế is Chùa Phá» Lại, which hosts religious, cultural, and community activities.
In 1963, ThÃÂch Quảng ÃÂức drove from Huế to Saigon to protest anti-Buddhist policies of the South Vietnamese government, setting himself on fire on a Saigon street.
ThÃÂch Nhất Hạnh, a Zen master who originated from Huế and lived for years in exile including France and the United States, returned to his home town in October 2018 and resided there at the Tu Hieu pagoda until his death in 2022.
Huế is known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
Roughly along the Perfume River from Huế lie monuments, including the tombs of some emperors, including Minh Mạng, Khải ÃÂá»Ânh, and Tá»± ÃÂức. The Thiên Mụ Temple is the largest pagoda in Huế and the official symbol of the city.
In the first 11 months of 2012, Huế received 2.4 million visitors, an increase of 24.6% from the same period of 2011. 803,000 of those 2.4 million visitors were foreign guests, an increase of 25.7%. While tourism plays a role in the city's socioeconomic development, it has impacts on environment and natural resource base. For example, services associated with tourism, such as travel, the development of infrastructure and its operation, and the production and consumption of goods, are energy-intensive. Research by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network has identified traditional 'garden houses' as having the potential to increase tourist traffic and revenue. Apart from the environmental, economic and cultural benefits provided by garden houses, their promotion could pave the way for other low carbon development initiatives.
The retail sales of goods and services (trade, hotel, restaurant, tourism) in the province is 10,960.6 billion ÃÂá»Âng, or 0.9% of national GDP. This is compared with 12.7% for Hanoi and 23.5% for Ho Chi Minh City (2009). The province has more than 120 km of coastline, which provides for a seafood industry that produces over 40,000 tonnes per year, consisting of over 500 species of fish.
There are more than 100 mines for minerals and non-mineral resources with the majority consisting of limestone, granite and kaolin.
Huế is home to historical buildings, mostly a legacy from its time as a capital of the Nguyá» n dynasty (1802âÂÂ1945), including the Imperial Citadel, the Flag Tower, the Royal Palace, and the Royal Tombs. Huế's Forbidden Purple City was once reserved solely for the royal family's use; it was damaged during the Vietnam War. Outside the city is the religious site known as Nam Giao Hill ("Heaven's Altar"). Huế Brewery Ltd is located on the Perfume River. The Brewery is a joint state-private partnership founded in 1990, with an initial investment of US$2.4 million and a capacity of 3 million liters per year, which has since grown to a capacity of 100 million liters per year in 2007.
The municipality is home to Huế University (e.g.: Huế Economic University, Huế University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Huế Pedagogical University, Huế Forestry and Agriculture University, Huế University of Sciences, Huế University of Arts, Huế Conservatory of Music and Huế College of Foreign Languages). As of 2009, the city had 190 schools, 1302 classrooms, 2184 teachers and 36,200 pupils.
The Huế Central Hospital, established in 1894, was the first Western hospital in Vietnam. The hospital, providing 2078 beds and occupying , is one of three largest in the country along with Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, and is managed by the Ministry of Health.
Phu Bai International Airport, the province's sole airport, is situated 15 km south of Huế; it ranks fourth in passenger numbers among Vietnam's airports. While a new terminal was completed in 2023 to receive international flights, Phu Bai still only has direct flights to domestic destinations; the first international routes to Kunming, Taipei and Seoul are planned to be inaugurated in 2025.
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