Tomb of Minh Mang King
Minh Mang Emperor ruled from 1820 to 1840 and was responsible for
some of the major construction upon the Imperial City. It was also
the actions of Minh Mang towards the Catholic missionaries which
first brought French military power to bear on Vietnam. The ground
of his tomb are large and peaceful, and his actual bomb oversees
the Lake of Tranquillity. The first entrance is guarded by a life
size stone entourage of soldiers, horses and elephants, and opens
to a courtyard containing three temples. Past the temples, you will
cross Trung Minh Ho (The Lake of Impeccable Clarity) which is bridged
in three places. The central bridge was for the sole use of the
Emperor whilst the other two were for his entourage. Beyond the
pond there is Sung An Temple that Minh Mang dedicated to his Empress.
Following this temple you need to cross another bridge before reaching
his tomb that is a huge walled-in dirt mound, which you cannot enter.
To give Minh Mang peace of mind whilst ruling, all his servants
were eunuchs.
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