The Imperial City (Vietnamese: Kinh thành Huế) in Huế is a walled fortress and palace in the former capital of Vietnam. The grounds of the Imperial City were surrounded by a wall 2 kilometers by 2 kilometers, and the walls were surrounded by a moat. The water from the moat was taken from the Huong River (Perfume River) that flows through Huế. This structure is called the citadel.

Huế is perhaps best known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The seat of the Nguyễn emperors was in the Citadel, which occupies a large, walled area on the north side of the river. Inside the citadel was a forbidden city where only the emperors, concubines, and those close enough to them were granted access

After the unification of Vietnam, Emperor Gia Long decided to move the capital to Huế. Following this decision, in 1803, a new Confucian academy was built in order to replace the Lê Dynasty's Temple of Literature in Hanoi. The first academy, called Đốc Học Đường, was a small block of buildings located at An Ninh Thượng village, Hương Trà district, some 5 kilometres east of Huế. It stood next to a Temple of Literature.

Minh Mạng (born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, also known as Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu) was the second emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 14 February 1820 until 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Cảnh, had died in 1801. He was well known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam and his rigid Confucian orthodoxy. As Gia Long aged, he took on a more isolationist foreign

Tu Dam Pagoda was built and opened under the direction of Zen master Thích Minh Hoằng, who was the 34th in the lineage of the Lâm Tế Zen lineage. In 1841, Vietnam had been unified in its modern state by the Nguyễn Dynasty and Emperor Thiệu Trị ordered that the temple be renamed so that it did not conflict with his name

The Perfume River has two sources, both of which begin in the Dãy Trường Sơn mountain range and meet at Bang Lang Fork. The Ta Trach (Left Tributary) originates in the Truong Dong Mountains and flows northwest towards Bang Lang Fork. The shorter Huu Trach (Right Tributary) flows past the Tuan ferry landing towards Bang Lang Fork.

Quoc Hoc High School is a secondary school in Hue, Thua Thien - Hue, Vietnam. Founded on October 23, 1896, Quoc Hoc is the first and oldest high school in Vietnam. It was built on the site once known as the Admiral’s Palace, a royal naval base established in 1806 (the fifth year of King Gia Long’s reign). It is famed for the political leaders that have graduated from it, including Ho Chi Minh.

Thien Mu Pagoda (Vietnamese: Chùa Thiên Mụ; also called Linh Mụ) is a historic temple in the city of Huế in Vietnam. Its pagoda has seven storeys and is the tallest in Vietnam. The temple is often the subject of folk rhymes and Ca Dao about Huế, such is its iconic status and association with the city. It is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital.

The son of Emperor Thiệu Trị, Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm was born on 22 September 1829, and succeeded his father on the throne, with the reigning title of Tự Đức, but family troubles caused his era to have a violent start. Thiệu Trị had passed over his more moderate eldest son, Hồng Bảo, to give the throne to Tự Đức, known for his staunch Confucianism and opposition to foreigners and innovation. As a result, and due to the repressive policies of the previous Nguyễn Dynasty emperor, there was now a great deal of dissatisfaction with Nguyễn rule and a legitimate royal figure to rally this opposition.