“If you are planning your visit to Hue you must not omit Tu Duc Tomb,” writes Blond Travels. Constructed between 1864 and 1867, it served as the second imperial city “where the emperor came to rest and relax.” The “broad, peaceful outer courtyard sweeps you past an honorary guard of immaculate stone mandarins towards the first of a series of elegantly roofed gateways,” describes Rough Guides, “through whose triple doorways you get a perfectly framed view of Emperor Minh Mang’s mausoleum complex … archways look wistful in peeling ochre paint; slatted lacquer-red shutters offer tantalizing angles on lotus ponds, pavilions and artfully placed bonsai trees; and ceramic rooftop dragons add a touch of kitsch in pastel pinks, greens and yellows.”