The Royal Mausoleum of Khai Dinh in Sparkling Gold

Born Nguyen Phuc Buu Dao, Khai Dinh (ruled 1916-25) was the second-last Emperor in the Nguyen Dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Dong Khanh. Dong Khanh was the most submissive of the Nguyen Emperors to French colonialism. After the French expelled the patriotic Emperor Duy Tan, they chose the son of Emperor Dong Khanh to be the nominal ruler of Vietnam. As such, Khai Dinh’s was a puppet government for the French. As a puppet for the French, Khai Dinh’s government suppressed the Vietnamese’ resistance movements against colonial rule. There was, indeed, lots of ill will toward Khai Dinh from the people of Vietnam.


There is flair in the very structure itself. The Royal Mausoleum of Khai Dinh has a remarkably different appearance from the classical structures at the Royal Mausoleums of Tu Duc and Minh Mang. It seemed to be a stone structure (it is actually a concrete structure, unlike the other royal tombs that are brick structures). Conspicuous dragon pillars line the two sides of every gate.


The three middle halls of the Thien Dinh Palace are the royal crypt and the altar hall. The flooring inside the Palace are granite. Elegant inlaid ceramic and glass fragments bas reliefs adorn the walls. Inside the Khai Thanh Temple, a bronze statue of Khai Dinh sits above the burial. This bronze statue was cast in France in 1920. The whole arena is glistening in gold.



I really did marvel at the Royal Mausoleum of Khai Dinh, especially because I had no prior knowledge of Khai Dinh’s penchant for all things French. The royal tomb’s stature was remarkable. The décor inside the Thien Dinh Palace was so amazing that my heart raced at the sight of its beauty. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is a mini-Versailles in Vietnam.

That said, it would not require any imagination to know that this grandiosity was equivalent to wastefulness. I “wowed” through the royal tomb, but for this reason I did not like it.







#hue #vietnam #vietnamhistory #khaidinh #nguyen #colonialism #french #southeastasia
#travel
#nguyễn

Post by Helen Yu (Chestnut Journal) | Jul 13, 2025