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The sightseeing tour of Hue remains incomplete without a tour to the Ancient Citadel, Hue. Many history buffs and tourists come to Hue to visit the citadel of the old capitol, along with the royal tombs scattered around the countryside. To define simply, a Citadel is basically like a fortress with walls surrounding the area. Inside the walls, there is always a church or temple depending on the religion. The Ancient Citadel actually protected the old city of Hue inside its walls. It once used to be a beautiful place, housing the royal tombs, untouched by the bombs in the war. However, the VC invaded the ancient city and used it as a hide out and when the Americans found that out, they bombed the place indiscriminately ruining most of the structure. Very few things remained. The citadel served as Vietnam's capital beginning from 1804 until around 1945. The Citadel has a perimeter of 10 km, and one can find many joggers and walkers using the path around the outer moat to measure their distance. Though there is no entrance fee for the Citadel, but you do have to pay an entrance fee to get into the Imperial Enclosure. As you approach the Imperial Citadel, the first thing that you will notice about it is the big flag tower (Cot Co).All visitors have to enter by this gate, and pay the 55,000 Dong (3.30 USD) entrance fee. The lower part of the gate is made of stone, while on top is the "Belvedere of the Five Phoenixes" where the emperor appeared on many important occasions. It was here that the last emperor abdicated to Ho Chi Minh's Revolutionary Government in 1945. On entering the Ancient Citadel, you will find a lotus pond just next to the entrance. The pond has a bridge over it that was once reserved for the emperor's private use. Across the bridge, you can see the Thai Hoa Palace, an important venue for official receptions and other important court ceremonies. The ostentatious columns supporting the roof are lacquered and inlaid with gold. There is a pair of smaller halls behind the Thai Hoa Palace used by mandarins to prepare for court ceremonies. These halls form a courtyard, the fourth side of which was once a wall, which divided the more public area of the citadel from the emperor's private residence, the "Forbidden Purple City."
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