This place is called Skull Tomb because it is where the skull of Prince Nguyen Phuc Luan, the body of King Gia Long, Nguyen Phuc Anh, is buried. According to history, after his death due to political disputes, Nguyen Phuc Luan's tomb was dug up by his enemies. They then took his bones and threw them into the Perfume River opposite the tomb.
Knowing that news, a villager who had feelings for him groped in the deep river and retrieved the lord's remains, buried them carefully. In 1802, Nguyen Anh (ie King Gia Long) ascended the throne, heard that someone had buried his father's skull, the king immediately ordered someone to excavate and cut his hand to drop blood on the skull, and found that the skull had absorbed all the blood. The king was sure that it was his father's skull, so he ordered someone to build this mausoleum to worship his father.
Behind this wall, behind that yellow gate, is where a skull is buried.
The author and friends visit Skull Tomb.
The strange attraction of a thrilling story.
Like other mausoleums, Skull Mausoleum was built on a piece of land with a special position, overlooking the river, leaning against the mountain, peaceful and quiet.
The Skull Tomb is now desolate and deserted. Perhaps it has been a long time since many people have entered the mausoleum. The Skull Tomb is almost forgotten because it cannot compare to other mausoleums in terms of architecture or scale. If you do not pay close attention, you will hardly see it because it has deteriorated a lot and is located behind very large banyan trees.
Not far away is the shrine of fisherman Nguyen Ngoc Huyen, who had the merit of retrieving the skull of Nguyen Phuc Luan. After his death, the king ordered the construction of a temple next to the Skull Tomb.
Skull Tomb is about 10km from the center, located in a quiet, sparsely populated village.
How many stories and historical anecdotes have remained forever with this city.
Thinh hopes that these shares will make those who come to Hue take the time to stop by here to feel the ancient and quiet breath, to understand more about the heroic anecdotes in Vietnamese history, and to love more Hue city, a land with many stories.
About the author: Thinh, a curious person, passionate about learning about culture and geography. Thinh has stories, told through films, photo albums, or a few lines of travelogues. A story by Thinh is a personal sharing about the emotions in the magical journeys of youth.
