Hue Photo Gallery - Tu Duc's Tomb

Tu Duc ruled from 1848 until 1883, and designed this tomb not just as a final resting place, but also a place to enjoy before his death. The extravagance was so great and the construction was so coastly that a coup took place in 1866 to stop him. Tu Duc had 104 wives and many more concubines but never produced an heir. During his reign, he opted to keep Vietnam isolated from the Western powers and persecuted Christian missionaries, which prompted the French to send their forces over, eventually winning and forcing 3 southern provinces to be ceded. Where he was buried on the grounds is not known, as all 200 servants who buried him were killed to prevent any knowledge to leak out to grave robbers. The guard of animals and officials were deliberately made shorter than the emperor.