NGUYEN DYNASTY – THE LAST MONARCH IN VIETNAM
Brief introduction of the famous Hue royal family
For nearly a century and a half, from 1802 to 1945, they are the official ruler of Dai Nam (Great South country in English). Who had chose Hue to be the capital and then left significant cultural inheritance in Hue. There are many kinds of food, landmarks, clothes amd customs which were originated by Nguyen Dynasty. Nowadays, there are still lots of descendants of this Hue royal family.
How the Dynasty started
The origins of Nguyen family was from the 17th century. It was the conflict between the Trinh and the Nguyen. This led to the division of the country at the time, while under the powerless ruler of Le Kings. Trinh owned the North of the nation and Nguyen control the South with Phu Xuan, which is Hue now as the capital. They continued to fight against each other until Nguyen Hue, the leader of Tay Son Rebellion appeared. This led to the fall of both side, while Nguyen Anh, the Nguyen family current ruler lost everything and fled to Siam, the Trinh withdraw to the North. However, Nguyen Anh did not loose hope and kept on trying to recover the family’s title.
He decided to seek help from the French, and was able to raise his own army from this. Meanwhile, significant changes happened in Vietnam. Tay Son had defeated the Trinh family, along with Le King, united Vietnam as the whole country. However, Nguyen Hue, the leader of Tay Son died soon after that, which weakened the whole empired. This created a chance for Nguyen Anh to defeat the Tay Son and regain his family status. In 1802, Nguyen Anh become the offical King of Vietnam, with the title of Gia Long. Tourists can explore Gia Long Tomb – the first Nguyen Emperor’s grave by using Hue private car tour.
How the Dynasty collapsed
After the success of Gia Long the first Nguyen Emperor, thirteen Kings has ruled the nation. However, during this period, there were conflicts between Vietnam and France since Gia Long’s successors could not get on terms with the French. This became more intensive when the fourth Emperor Tu Duc envolved in and violated the French Christian missionaries. This led to the French invasion, turning Vietnam into one of French colonies. From then on, Vietnamese ruler only played as the puppets of the French.
The official end of Nguyen Dynasty is in 1945, after the revolution by Vietminh, Bao Dai is forced to resign. He had to abdicate on 30th August and left to Hong Kong. Later, the last King of Vietnam moved to France and remained there for the rest of his life. The era of Nguyen Dynasty has officially ended here. With the Hidden Hue City Tours, tourists will be able to see the historical remains of Nguyen Dynasty.
The Nguyen Dynasty’s heritage
.As the nearest feudal system, Nguyen Dynasty had great influence to Hue, its former capital. Hue Citadel and the Imperial Tombs of Hue are the most outstanding landscape remaining. In addition, Hue royal cuisine is also a must try food experience for any traveler, or the Hue Royal Court Music which was usually performed on the boat. Tourists could enjoy these special features by taking Hue food tour – cyclo & boat by night.
