Located in Thủy Xuân Commune (about 7km away from the center of Huế City), Tư Lăng is a tomb complex of Emperor Đồng Khánh’s and his father Kiên Thái Vương Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Cai’s. While Kiên Thái Vương is Emperor Tự Đức’s younger brother, Đồng Khánh (aka Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Đường) is Emperor Tự Đức’s adopted son. The special thing about Kiên Thái Vương is that he had three sons who were the kings under Nguyễn Dynasty: Emperor Kiến Phúc, Emperor Hàm Nghi and Emperor Đồng Khánh.
This monumental complex of temples, tombs, pavilions and stelae started being built in 1888 and was not totally completed until 1923.
When we visited Tư Lăng, the main temple was under renovation so we could only access to the tombs and other architectures. This might be the reason why Tư Lăng has not really appeared in any tourist maps yet, which gives you a chance to have the whole space of your own if you visit it now.
Tư Lăng is about 5 minute walk from Khiêm Lăng (Emperor Tự Đức’s Tomb) and 20 minute walk from Vọng Cảnh Hill. How to get there from Hue City’s center:
