In 2016, I visited Hue and for the third time, I went to the tomb of Gia Long King. I had been to Hue many times before and visited Tu Duc tomb and Khai Dinh’s tomb several times, but I had never visited the Tomb of Gia Long King because I had misunderstood him to be a villain based on textbooks and official documents.
How to get to Gia Long king tomb?
During that trip, I took my girlfriend to visit the Minh Mang Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb, and Hue Imperial City. However, we did not have a ticket to visit the tomb of Gia Long. While looking for Ming Mang tomb, we accidentally stumbled upon a sign indicating the way to the tomb of Gia Long King. My girlfriend urged me to go see his tomb since I had just read an article about the First King of the Nguyen Dynasty a week ago.
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/y9kNhugUCHC7qKdM7
After getting lost a few times (due to the lack of road signs), we used Google Maps (We attached the below), and we finally arrived at tomb of Gia Long King. Unlike other Royal tombs that were developed for tourism, Tomb of Gia Long King was quiet and peaceful. We paid a little bit of money for entrance (50.000 vnd), and bought incense for him in the temple. After that we see the main tomb is locked on the left side of Minh Thanh Temple, We can the guard open the tomb for me, and he also helped us: “Nobody is lucky enough to visit the inside”
I would like to share with you the love story of Gia Long King and his wife, Thua Thien Cao Queen. Gia Long King was buried next to his wife, who shared his fate during the dark period when he was exiled several times and hunted by the Tay Son Dynasty. She took care of the king’s mother, protected the family, and took care of every meal of the old mother. She is a filial person and a dutiful wife.
During the struggles, Thua Thien Cao Queen was not only the spiritual pillar for Gia Long King but also weaved clothes for soldiers. In a battle, the Gia Dinh army (Gia Long King) was defeated by Tay Son (Nguyen Hue King), but she, holding the drum, made the generals excited and defeated the enemy. In 1802, King Gia Long unified the country, and in 1806, she has officially crowned the Queen – Thua Thien Cao Hoang Hau. For nearly half of her life, she lived and worked with the man of her life. After enjoying eight years of short-lived glory, the Empress of Thua Thien passed away. Gia Long King mourned deeply and built her tomb with his own hands. Two tombs next to each other, not alone, two people who shared both sweetness and bitterness in life now lie beside each other to enter a thousand-year sleep, still sharing both sweetness and bitterness.
This is only one tomb that has the queen’s tomb beside the king. So we can see how the King loves her.
When leaving the tomb of Gia Long, you will come across an incredibly beautiful romantic road. The Tomb of Gia Long is a fusion of historical nostalgia and the natural wilderness of Thien Tho Son. In the distance of that road is the tomb of King Minh Mang’s mother. King Minh Mang was not a legitimate son (2nd wife). His mother was not buried next to Gia Long, but out of filial piety, he made sure his mother was not too far from his father – Gia Long King. This love story is not just a beautiful love story but also a moral lesson for future generations.
Travel guide visiting Gia Long tomb
- You can get to Gia Long’s tomb by private car, it is far from Hue city center or other Royal tombs
- You can bring some food, and snacks for a picnic lunch here
- The entrance ticket for Gia Long tomb is 100,000 vnd (update 2023), If you have time to visit all sites of Hue, you should buy combo tickets, it is cheaper.