Anita L M
Google
I am not easily impressed and this mausoleum utterly blew my mind.
When we arrived, I stood at the bottom and immediately felt overwhelmed by how high up this landmark stood. I have bad arthritic knees and hips so I was already dreading the climb up so many flights of stairs. But we were here, and I was determined.
We made our way up the first flight (also the flight with the most steps) and found ourselves on a landing to go through the turnstile and into the complex.
Up another flight of stairs and we see rows of the Emperor's men guarding the space. After many photos, we made our way up yet another flight of stairs.
Standing at the top was the massive building with architecture reflecting both Vietnamese and French designs. Dragons adorn the entrance, make sure you take your hats off when you enter the building and there is no flash photography allowed.
The interior is just stunning. If you think the photos and videos are impressive, let me tell you, they do not do it justice at all. I was in awe of the sheer grandeur and ostentatious decor of them interior. Later, after reading more about Emperor Khai Dinh, it all made sense.
This is a not-to-be-missed stop on your Hue itinerary. It is absolutely worth climbing you those steps for.
Climbing down was frightening, but slowly and surely, we made it. I do not regret this whatsoever and it was one of the highlights of my trip to Hue.