lifestyle
Thu y D uong
A touch of Hue’s charm
An Hien Garden House is a splendid example of mandarin life in bygone days in Hue Imperial Citadel.
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ituated in peaceful gardens on Phuc Nguyen Street, the An Hien Garden House is one of over 85 palaces of royal family members still in existence in the former capital, showcasing how formal Vietnamese royals lived in harmony with nature.
house set in the middle of a garden fringed by tall trees. The An Hien Garden House is said to offer a journey into Hue’s authentic mandarin residential area and lifestyle where tradition, poetry and spirit have been preserved over time.
Green living Solid wooden houses steeped in history and tucked away in picturesque gardens can be found in many places across Vietnam. Those in the North feature large red-brick yards for sun-drying rice and other agricultural products, and are usually surrounded by low trees and bushes. In Hue, however, a more harmonious combination is achieved with the
Built 136 years ago, the house is the former residence of a Nguyen Dynasty princess. Set in spacious 6,500 square metre lush grounds complete with a lily-fringed pond and designed in the ancient architectural style seen in Hue’s royal buildings, the house is strongly influenced by “feng shui”, where architecture, nature, and humans intertwine harmoniously. As well as being the home of generations
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of the royal family, An Hien is also an ecological space that is a verdant green all year round. Plants and trees in An Hien’s garden are arranged in three tiers: tall, old trees that provide precious wood, like jackfruit; fruit trees such as mangosteen, durian and dragon fruit from the south, apricot, persimmon and litchi from the north, and Thanh tra, or Bouea Macrophylla, and figs from the central region; and ornamental and flowering plants, including jasmine.
Exceptional architecture Besides the beauty of the lush green
