Imperial City Night
From the end of April this year, Hue Imperial City will be officially opened at night to welcome more visitors. There is no need to wait until Hue Festival to enjoy many special performances, tourists can see the beautiful setting of the ancient palace in the old age all the nights.
In the “Imperial City Night”, the scene of the ancient palace will be revived with the effect of many lights from Ngo Mon gate, Trung Dao bridge, Thai Dich lake, The Mieu temple and Dien Tho palace to Can Chanh yard (where the king hold the political meetings). The royal life will vividly reappear with many activities such as special court music performances, ancient court games, exhibitions of five world heritages in Hue, Hue traditional crafts, etc. Especially, tourists can experience the old royal court rituals in any nights such as Doi Gac ritual, music rituals, etc., which existed only in the Festival.
Royal Night
I once attended a “Royal Night” programme in a Hue Festival. The quiet citadel, palaces, temples were suddenly surrounded by the sounds, the sparkling lights but looked mysterious from the Ngo Mon gate. The moats around the Imperial City were like the mirrors reflecting the marvelous place. The “Royal Night” was boisterous when the Royal Feast took place at Can Chanh yard along with vivid art and music performances. No longer watching documentary films on TV, tourists will be “living” in the real Royal Night of the palace.
In Dien Tho palace (where Nguyen Kings’ Mother lived), there was the show of great traditional music. The King and Queen of Japan spent a long time in Hue in the visit to Vietnam because of the story of Vietnam Buddha’s Philosophy in the 8th century brought the court music (one of the five Hue world heritage) to a ceremony at Nara pagoda (Japan). Over thousands of years, court music has been maintained the performed in Japan Palace.
In another space of Co Ha garden, the playing and singing scenes, as well as daily activities of princes and princesses, were revived vividly. Actors and actresses wore the gorgeous noble costume to truly show the image of the “Royal Night”. It seemed that all the kings, the queens, the imperial concubines, the princes, the princesses, the servants, and the soldiers “reappeared” in that time.
Going through magnificent palaces in the shimmering light of the “Royal Night”, leaving behind the bustling scenes, I tried to go inside the Imperial City. Walking in the middle of Imperial City, through the long corridors, hearing the far-away Hue royal court music, I wondered how there were solitary nights or feast nights in the golden age of mysterious Imperial City.
The more time visiting Hue, the more time I am attached to the ancient capital by charming Huong river and impressed by the magnificent Imperial City with many hidden stories.
Quote: No longer watching documentary films on TV, tourists will be “living” in the real Royal Night of the palace.