The Mieu is one of imperial ancestral temples in the Hue Imperial City. It’s built to worship emperors of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam. Here, visitors can see grand buildings and learn about the kings. In this article, HoiAn Day Trip Company will provide all information about The Mieu Temple.
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• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
Must Knows about The Mieu Temple
– Location/Address: Hue Imperial City, 23 Thang 8 St, Hue City, Vietnam
– Other name(s): The To Mieu
– Opening hours: 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM (summer/dry season), 7 AM to 5 PM (winter/rainy season)
– Entrance fee: 200,000 VND for adult (2024)
– Reason(s) to visit: the seat of power of Nguyen kings who ruled Vietnam in 19th and 20th centuries, a world heritage site
– Time to spend: 30 to 60 mins
– Best time to visit: anytime of the day
– Tour guide: contact +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo)
– Travel blog: https://hoiandaytrip.com/the-mieu-temple-hue-vietnam
– Recognition(s): Unesco world heritage site (1993)
The Mieu Temple on Map
History of The Mieu Temple in Hue
In 1804, two years after his coronation, Gia Long king constructed a temple on the current location of The Mieu Temple, to worship his parents. At that time, its name was ‘Hoang Khao Mieu’. His father was Nguyen Phuc Luan (1733-1765), one of nine Nguyen lords who ruled the southern part of Vietnam in 1765, and his mother was Nguyen Thi Hoan (1738-1811).
In 1820, Gia Long king passed away. In 1821, his son Minh Mang king moved his grandparents’s temple to another place that was 50m in the north. After that, he constructed ‘The Mieu’ to worship the father and all other emperors of the dynasty. In 1822, this temple was completed. The older temple was renamed ‘Hung Mieu’ and continued worshipping the first king’s parents. In 1951, after damage from a typhoon, it’s restored but smaller.
From 1822 to 1958, there were 7 emperors honoured in The Mieu Temple (amongst 13 emperors). They are Gia Long king (ruled from 1802 to 1820, 1st king), Minh Mang king (ruled from 1820 to 1840, 2nd king), Thieu Tri king (ruled from 1840 to 1847, 3rd king), Tu Duc king (ruled from 1847 to 1883, 4th king), Kien Phuc king (ruled from 1883 to 1884, 7th king), Dong Khanh king (ruled from 1885 to 1889, 9th king), and Khai Dinh king (ruled from 1916 to 1925, 12nd king).
In October 1958, 3 more emperors were added into The Mieu Temple, including Ham Nghi king (ruled from 1884 to 1885), Thanh Thai king (ruled from 1889 to 1907, 10th king), and Duy Tan king (ruled from 1907 to 1916, 11st king). Kings not worshipped, are Duc Duc king (1883, 5th king), Hiep Hoa king (1883, 6th king), and Bao Dai king (ruled from 1925 to 1945, 13rd king/last king). The reason for the ‘absence’ of 6 kings is that they’re dethroned (once they die). In the case of the last king, he wasn’t a king anymore when he died in 1997. Three newly-added kings previously were dethroned due to their anti-colonist activities, so they deserved to be honoured in Hue’s most important royal temple.
In 1993, The Mieu Temple (a part of the Hue Imperial City) was recognized by Unesco to be a world heritage site.
Architecture of The Mieu Temple in Hue
The Mieu Temple is the best preserved imperial shrine in the Hue Imperial City, and the whole of Vietnam. It was not damaged too seriously by fire and wars in the past (which destroyed nearly all buildings in the complex). The king used the finest wood, and the most skillful artisans in the country to build it. So, this temple has a grand, ornate, and well-proportioned architecture.
On a 1-meters-high foundation, The Mieu Temple is a wooden hall with a length of 54,6 meters, a width of 27,7 meters, and a height of over 10 meters. Its overlapping roofs are covered by yellow ceramic piles produced in Hanoi’s famous pottery village Bat Trang. The tile’s color indicates that this building is exclusive for the kings. On the ridge of roofs, there are flying dragons which also symbolizes the king. Some temple’s doors are opened to allow visitors to go in, and the middle door is always closed (opened in special anniversaries only). All of them are covered by bamboo mats with a dragon face decoration.
Visitors will access The Mieu Temple by the door to the left hand side. To visit, firstly it’s needed to take your shoes off. Inside the temple, red and yellow colors dominate, to express a solemnity and royalty. Altars on which a portrait/full body photo of the king and worshipping objects place, are arranged horizontally. The middle altar is for the first king, to show a deep respect to him. On the right side of his altar, there is his son’s altar (2nd king) and on the left side, it’s his grandson’s altar (3rd king). The one for the 4th king is to the right of the 2nd king. However, the fourth king Tu Duc has no biological children, so the order of the altars stops following this rule. In total, there are 10 altars. Behind the altars, there are private spaces for ceremonies and king’s personal items when still alive.
As an important place, The To Mieu has an ornate and solemn decoration. Like Thai Hoa Palace, there are a lot of images of dragons, clouds, precious objects, and poems composed by the emperors (to praise the country or dynasty). These poems are arranged between pictures, featuring yellow characters on red panels. The temple has one of the biggest collections of imperial poems in Hue that were recognized to be a world documentary heritage in 2016. To expand up to an area of 1,500m2, two houses are connected together (with roofs and a tile-paved floor). The architectural style ‘double houses, double roofs’ is unique to the Hue Imperial City.
Near the ‘entrance’, there is a very old pine tree. Local people believe that it’s planted by the second king when the temple was built (so it is 200 years old!). To protect it, the managers created a metal support to make it not fall down.
In the front of The Mieu Temple, there are the Nine Dynastic Urns (Cuu Dinh), Pavillion of the Splendour (Hien Lam Cac), Huu Vu (the Right Shrine), Ta Vu (the Left sShrine), and Mieu Mon (the Temple’s Gate).
– the Temple’s Gate:
– the Right Shrine:
– the Left Shrine:
– the Pavillion of :
– the Nine Dynastic Urns:
Behind The Mieu Temple, there is Hung Mieu, the temple for worship of the first king’s parents, a kitchen house where foods are prepared in ceremonies, and beautiful gadens.
Tips to Visit The Mieu Temple in Hue
– Visitors must wear respectively to visit the Hue Imperial City (and The Mieu Temple), a holy/solemn place. In other words, it’s needed to wear clothes which cover armpits, navel, shoulder, breast, and upper knees. See-through clothings is not accepted.
– Visitors need to take shoes off, remove sun glasses and hat/cap. Shoes must be put outside.
– In the rainy season, visitors need to remove rain poncho/jacket, and close the umbrella. After that, hang it on the rack.
– Visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside The Mieu Temple.
– The Mieu Temple is a worshipping place, so visitors can not make noise (like talking loud, laughing, singing, dancing,…) or sit inside it. Instead, nearby gardens are better places to have a seat and take a rest under tree shade.
– Visitors do not touch on any worshipping objects in The Mieu Temple. Only members of the Nguyen royal family can burn incense sticks and do ceremonies here, not visitors. Visitors can put the incense stick in the urn outside.
– Historic books and some souvenirs are sold on the table near security men.
– It’s better to visit The Mieu Temple (and Hue Imperial City) with a guide.
– Visitors should visit Hung Mieu behind The Mieu Temple, and then exit by a nearby gate, to go to other places.
– Toilet is in the gardens behind The Mieu Temple.
How to Get to The Mieu Temple in Hue Imperial City
The Mieu Temple lies within the Hue Imperial City/Hue Citadel, on the northern bank of the Perfume River, in Phu Xuan district of Hue city.
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours and transfers in Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Places to Visit Near The Mieu Temple
Within the Hue Imperial City, visitors can go to these places: Thai Hoa Palace, The Mieu Temple, the Nine Dynastic Urns (Cuu Dinh), Thai Mieu Temple, Dien Tho Palace, Truong Sanh Residence, Kien Trung Palace, Thai Binh Pavilion, Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theater, Thieu Phuong Garden, Co Ha Gardens, the Nine Holy Cannons (Cuu Vi Than Cong) …
Near Ngo Mon Gate, visitors can go to these places: Museum of Royal Antiquities (distance: 650m), Imperial Academy or Quoc Tu Giam (distance: 500m), Ho Chi Minh House (distance: 1,3 km), Flag Tower or Ky Dai (distance: 100m), the Nine Holy Cannons (distance: 150m), Phu Van Lau or Pavillion of Edicts (distance: 600m), Nghenh Luong Dinh or Pavillion of the Welcoming (distance: 650m), Tinh Tam Lake (distance: 2 km), Xa Tac Esplanade or the Altar of Land and Grain (distance: 1,1 km), the Imperial Library or Tang Thu Lau (distance: 2 km).
Not far away from the Hue Imperial City, visitors can go to these places: Dong Ba Market (distance: 1,5 km), Truong Tien Bridge (distance: 1 km), An Hien Garden House (distance: 3 km), Thien Mu Pagoda (distance: 4 km), Hue’s Night Walking Street (distance: 2,5 km), Hai Ba Trung Walking Street (distance: 2 km).
Photos, Videos about The Mieu Temple in Hue
Here are beautiful photos and videos about The Mieu Temple in Hue:
