Fodor's Expert Review Forbidden Purple City

Built at the beginning of the 19th century, the Forbidden Purple City, inside the Imperial City, was almost entirely destroyed during the Vietnam War; now it's slowly being restored to its former glory. The preserved open corridors, which were used to connect the main palaces in the Forbidden Purple City together, are ornately adorned with lavish red and gold paint. Paintings and photographs about Nguyen Dynasty and old Hue are also exhibited in these open corridors.

In its glory days the Forbidden Purple City housed members of the Imperial family and the concubines and eunuchs who served them. Anyone else who entered was executed. After the 1968 Tet Offensive, only the Royal Theater on the right-hand side and the intimate and restored Royal Library remained intact.