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Ngo Mon Gate Introduction
Ngo Mon Gate (Noon Gate Hue 午門) is the main gate to the south of the Hue Imperial Citadel. It is now one of the unique architectural relics of the Nguyen Dynasty in the complex of Hue monuments.
Explore Ngo Mon Gate in Hue Imperial Citadel
Ngo Mon means a gate facing the South, but it is a special gate because of its enormous scale and unique architecture. Ngo Mon is the main entrance to enter the Hue Imperial City from Hue Citadel and it was only for the most important ceremonies. Visiting Ngo Mon, you will have a chance to visit the complex of Hue Imperial Citadel- the ancient working and residence of 13 emperors, concubines as well as eunuchs under the Nguyen dynasty. It includes Hue Citadel, Hue royal city, and Forbidden city.
The Noon Gate Hue History
Formerly in this position was Nam Khuyet Dai, built early in Gia Long period. At this gate, there is Can Nguyen Palace, the two sides have two gates: Ta Doan Mon and Huu Doan Mon. By the Minh Mang emperor reign (1833) when the Nguyen Dynasty reorganized the whole architectural plan of the Imperial City; Nam Khuyet Dai was dissolved completely to give space for the Ngo Mon Gate. In terms of etymology, Ngo Mon means a gate facing the South. This direction, according to the concept of geomancy of the East is the South. In fact, Ngo Mon’s direction as well as the entire Hue Imperial City is the axis (Northwest-Southeast) but still considered as the Ngo (South) direction.
The Noon Gate Hue Structure
However, Ngo Mon Gate is not just a gate, it is a whole complex architectural structure. On top, there is Ngu Phung palace which is seen as a ceremony palace used to organize a number of annual ceremonies of the royal court; such as the ceremony of Truyen Lo (reciting the names of the people who passed the doctoral examination); the ceremony of Ban Soc (distributing the calendar), the Ceremony of the Parade …And this is also the place for the abdication ceremony of Bao Dai Emperor on August, 30th, 1945.
Architecturally, Ngo Mon Gate Hue has the same architecture as the Ngo Mon in the ancient palace of Beijing; but still clearly shows the Vietnamese architectural style. Ngo Mon has two main parts: The Entrance and Ngu Phung Palace.
The Gate Part
The Ngo Mon gate has a U-shaped square, the bottom is 57.77m long, the side is 27.06m long. The Gate was built of bluestone, bricks, combined with bearing bars made of brass. It is nearly 5m high, occupying an area of more than 1,560m2. The body of the gate has 5 entrances. The middle entrance is for emperors only. The two sides of entrances for the civil and military servants. On the 2 wing side, there are 2 more entrances for horses, elephants, and soldiers.
Ngu Phung Palace
Ngu Phung palace is the upper floor located on the Gate. In addition to the body of the tower, the floor is also honored by a 1.15m-high platform that also runs throughout the U-shaped body of the tower. Ngu Phung palace has two floors, the frame structure is entirely made of ironwood with even 100 columns. The roof of the lower floor is connected, running around to cover the corridor. The upper roof is divided into 9 sets with many decorative phoenixes in the roof and the edge, making the palace look very gentle and elegant. The central roof set of Ngu Phung palace is roofed with yellow royal tiles and the other eight roofs are covered with blue color glazed tiles.
Ngo Mon Gate Hue Vietnam deserves to be listed among the most outstanding architectural relics of the Nguyen Dynasty in particular and of the Vietnamese traditional architecture in general.
How to visit?
Normally, when tourists visit Ngo Mon Gate, they always visit Hue Imperial Citadel. Moreover, to spend your time in Hue wisely, you should book the Hue City Group Tour or Hue City Private Tour to enjoy all highlights of Hue such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Imperial Citadel, Hue Royals Tombs.
