Flag Tower Hue

Hue is known for the magnificent architecture of its citadels, palaces, royal tombs, towers or monuments, pagodas and temples contrasted against a luxuriant scenic background of greenery on the banks of the Perfume River and this variety of architectures are hallmark of the ancient grandeur of the land. One of the famous Historic sites of Hue is the Flag Tower, Hue.

The Flag Tower, Hue is situated at the imperial city (the Citadel) in Hue.

The Flag Tower, Hue or the King's Knight, is the landmark of Hue which is commonly known as a flag-staff. It is viewed from the Imperial City and a vast structure of three flat-top pyramids, one lying on top of another.

In 1807, during the reign of Emperor Gia Long the Flag Tower, Hue was built and was enhanced by his son, Emperor Minh Mang. In the opinion of the Thuc Luc (Nguyen Dynasty's Chronicle), the flag-tower is 17.40 m high which comprises three terraces. The first terrace is 5.60 m high, the second terrace is 5.8 m and the third terrace is 6 m. On the third terrace, there are 8 little buildings and on each building one canon is sculptured. Two sentinel -boxes are placed at the opposite ends of these little buildings.

The Flag Tower, Hue was destroyed and rebuilt quite a number of times. Initially, the 29.52m flag-staff was made of wood and in 1846, Emperor Thieu Tri was replaced it by a new one. This flag-staff was destroyed by typhoon and in 1914; the cast-iron flag-staff was re-built with French assistance. In 1947, after the return of the French colonialists the flag-staff was destroyed yet again and in 1948, a 21m concrete staff was constructed.

In feudal times, a yellow flag fluttered everyday on top of the Flag Tower, Hue and was replaced with a larger one on festive occasions, for example- The Nam Giao Offering Ceremony. This flag was made of wool or velvet and the size of this flag is 4m by 3.6m. The flag was brocaded with a dragon design in its center and fringed with serrated lace.

The Flag Tower, Hue has kept the magnificence of its past days, standing in all its glory and it is the "Must-Visit" historical site in Hue, the most valuable cultural heritage existing in Vietnam.