An Architectural Study of Hue Imperial City - Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), Vietnam

Abstract

Hue Imperial City (HIC), which contains most of the imperial architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty - the last feudal monarchy of Vietnam (1802-1945) - is now located in Hue City, Vietnam. The HIC is part of the Complex of Hue Monuments, where a large amount of tangible and intangible cultural heritage is preserved. UNESCO recognized it as Vietnam's first World Cultural Heritage site in December 1993. From 1945 to 1975, war and natural disasters heavily damaged the buildings. About 40% of the buildings have been restored, but many significant buildings remain lost, and many areas lack sufficient study for complete reconstruction. Previous studies on the HIC architecture have mainly focused on restoring individual buildings or studying the characteristics of the traditional wooden framework in the remaining buildings. There has not yet been a comprehensive study on the architecture of the HIC.

This thesis focuses on a comprehensive study of the HIC architecture through methods including collecting and classifying literature, surveying buildings and sites, analyzing the obtained data, interviewing scholars, and establishing tables and diagrams. As a result, it identifies three key findings: (1) the buildings on the HIC site plan underwent five periods, including the Gia Long period (1802-1820), Minh Mang period (1820-1841), Thieu Tri - Tu Duc periods (1841-1883), Thanh Thai - Duy Tan periods (1889-1916), and Khai Dinh - Bao Dai periods (1916-1945). Among these, the Gia Long - Tu Duc period marked the formation and development of original Nguyen Dynasty architecture and served as the golden era for studying and identifying traditional Nguyen architecture; (2) the study established three criteria for classifying the HIC architecture: functions and uses; building information (name-function-location); and building hierarchy. Based on these criteria, the HIC architecture was classified into four functional groups, twenty building name types, and eight hierarchical levels. The study also developed a typology diagram and identified the architectural characteristics based on two types: square (Type A) and rectangular (Type B); (3) the design principles of the HIC site plan were clarified based on a specific 12×10-rod grid system, using the traditional Nguyen Dynasty unit of measurement, where one rod equals 4.24 meters. The site plan was shaped by integrating two axes: the design axis (used for measurements) and the spatial axis (used to determine building scale and spatial composition).

The findings provide a scientific foundation for future comprehensive studies on the HIC architecture. They contribute valuable insights to the preservation and restoration of the HIC architectural heritage and serve as a knowledge resource for the education of architectural history in Vietnam.

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