Ho Quyen was the arena where duels between elephants and tigers were arranged for the entertainment of the Emperor, the royal family and mandarins..

Ho Quyen was built in 1830 on the south bank of the Perfume river and 4 km from the citadel. It is a unique construction, open air and solidly built as a citadel. The coliseum consists of two concentric circles built with bricks and mortar. The first staircase with 20 steps was exclusively reserved for the Emperor and royal family leading up to the retangular tribune with the surface of 96m sq. the height of 1.5m in comparison with the path surface. Looking down from the tribune, people can see the cavity with the coliseum. The second staircase, with 15 steps was used by the soldiers and the common people leading up to the earthen part. Between the two staircases is a big entrance 1.9 m wide and 3.9 m high for the elephants to enter the coliseum. .

The way running around above this curved door is narrowed into a small bridge across the curved door. Under it is a big two-wing wooden door with stone hinges which still remain undamaged. Opposite to the tribune for the Emperor on the other side of the arena are five cages for tigers and leopards. Above the middle cage is a stone sign inscribed the two Chinese words "HO QUYEN". The duel between elephants and tigers is a long standing entertainment for Emperors and Lords.

In the old time, the duels HO QUYEN were held once a year. The last one was organized here in 1904 in Thanh Thai's reign. The Tiger's arena is a unique architectural work rarely found in South East Asia. Though it is not as huge as the arenas of the Emperor Romance but it still bears an outstanding figure and creates a martial and imposing atmosphere.

                               VAN MIEU

The Temple of Letters is a worship temple founded by the Nguyen dynasty to dedicate to celebrated scholars of Confucianism. Formerly, various Temple of Letters were built by the Nguyen Lords in the capital and moved to three different places: Trieu Son village, Luong Quang village and Long Ho village.

in 1808, Gia Long and his Imperial Court decided to choose a low hill beyond the Heavenly Lady pagoda, on the left bank of the Perfume river, i.e. the current position, to built a new imposing and striking Temple of Letters. At that time, the National University was also established there and operated until 1908 before it was moved into the citadel. The construction of the Temple of Letters was commenced on 17th April 1808 and finished on 12th November 1808.

The Temple of Letters faces south. All main constructive works were built on the top of the hill, three meters higher than the surrounding land. In front of it was the Perfume river, in the back were villages, hills and mounts spreading from Truong Son range, surrounded the back of Temple of Letters. All items of Hue Temple of Letters were erected on a square surface of 160 m long on each side enclosed by La Thanh (surrounding wall). There was once a complex of 50 big and small constructions including 32 steles which bore names of doctors and four other steles.

The Temple of Letters was many times renovated and many sub- constructions were built, especially in Minh Mang and Thieu Tri's time. From Minh Mang's time onwards, National Examinations were held so that steles bearing the names of successful candidates were erected here. These "Tien si de danh bia" - "Steles bearing doctors' names" were gradually erected on the yard of the main temple from 1831 to 1919, the year in which the last National Examinations was held in Khai Dinh's time.

As destroyed by the war and weather, the remains of the Temple of Letters are now the 34 steles of great cultural and historic value. On these steles are names, ages and places of birth of 239 successful candidates in National Examinations organized in the Nguyen dynasties.

Hue Temple of Letters is a valuable historic remains. To visit Van Mieu, tourists can understand more about the tradition of knowledge appreciation, scholars administration and study encouragement of our ancestors from the old time.

HON CHEN TEMPLE

Standing just on the bank of the Perfume River inclined to poetic dreams and 10 km upstream of Hue, the Hon Chen temple for cult of Po Nagar, the Goddess of the ancient Cham minority. After then, the Vietnamese continued the cult and name the Goddess as Heaven Goddess Y A Na.

This temple for Goddess appeared in this place centuries ago, but with a very simple design, and after then, reconstructed with a larger and more beautiful architectural scale in 1886.

The Hon Chen temple is situated at a lovely site seated on the slope of the mountain Ngoc Tran (Jade - cup) with sheer cliff and mirroring in the deep blue water of the Perfume River.

THANH TOAN TILE - ROOFED BRIDGE

The Thanh Toan tile-roofed Bridge crosses a canal flowing from the beginning to the end of Thanh Toan village, Thuy Thanh Commune, Huong Thuy district at present. The village is about 8 km from Hue city on the eastward. Thanh Thuy village was established in the 16th century. Among the emigrants from Thanh Hoa following Lord Nguyen Hoang to Thuan Hoa, there were 12 family heads who settled down there to be the 12 initial families of the village. One niece of the sixth generation of the Tran family - Mrs Tran Thi Dao - offered the fund to the village to build a wooden bridge so that the villagers on both sides of the canal could transport conveniently and benighted travellers could rest on their way. Mrs Tran Thi Dao was a childless wife of a high-rank mandarin in Le Hien Tong reign. She wanted to used her money for charity. In Canh Hung 37th year, Emperor Le Hien Tong granted the village a document to praise Mrs Tran Thi Dao and exempted the villagers from many taxes for them to remember her and to live after her example. In 1925, Emperor Khai Dinh also granted a document to bestow her "Duc Bao, Trung Hung Linh Pho" and to order the villagers to set up an altar on the bridge to worship her.

The tile-roofed Thanh Toan is an arched wooden bridge, 17m long and 4m wide. On     both sides of the bridge length are 2 rows of wooden flatforms and parapets for people to lean their backs. The bridge is roofed with tubes. A researcher into Vietnamese ancient aesthetics - Louis Bezacier - classified Thanh Toan a rare and the most aesthetically valuable bridge among those of Vietnam. In the first half of the 20th century, there were the two most famous bridges of this style Phuc Toai and Phu Khe in the north, Thanh Toan in Hue and Nhat Ban (i.e. Lai Vien Kieu, also called Chua Cau) in Hoi An. The roofs of the bridges in the north are made of flat tiles, in the centre are made of tube tiles.

The tile-roofed Thanh Toan bridge is not only an ancient architectural remain with highly historic and cultural values but also a tourist attraction. The bridge was built over 2 centuries ago and damaged many times by storms, floods and wars. However, after the bridge was destroyed, the villagers always contributed to repair, renovate and preserve it. The Thanh Toan bridge with its tile-roof has entered into the moods and aspirations of many generations as well as inspired the poetic souls of the local people and travellers, their contents are still handed down among the people or engraved right on the bridge.

In September 1991, the bridge was greatly renovated according to the old design and  officially accepted by the Cultural Ministry as a national remains, a rare and appreciated beauty-spot of the whole country.