Tomb of Thieu Tri

The tomb of Emperor Gia Long, the founder of the Nguyễn dynasty, took six years to build. The tomb of Khải Định took 11 years. This one took only about 10 months.

It is Xương Lăng, the tomb of Emperor Thiệu Trị. It is quieter and less visited than the larger sites, such as the Imperial City and the tomb of Minh Mạng. The same goes for the tombs of Tự Đức and Khải Định. Yet Xương Lăng has features that few other tombs of the Nguyễn dynasty can claim. That was Vietnam's last royal dynasty, which reigned from 1802 to 1945.

First, this was the fastest built of all the Nguyễn tombs. Work began on February 11, 1848. The emperor was buried in June, and the tomb was finished at the end of that year, in about 10 months. By comparison, even the tomb of Minh Mạng took three years.

Second, the tomb faces northwest. No other Nguyễn tomb or palace does so. That direction was chosen for the favorable lie of the land. The tomb rests its back against Thuận Đạo mountain, and behind it rises a high mound of built-up earth, the pillow at the back of the tomb.

Third, the layout has two parallel axes. The axis on the right is the tomb axis, the area of the grave. The axis on the left is the temple axis, the area for worship. The two axes lie about 100 meters apart. The layout blends two styles. One is the tomb of Gia Long, a complex of many separate areas. The other is the tomb of Minh Mạng, laid out symmetrically along an axis. The result is rare among the Nguyễn tombs.

Fourth, there is the water system known as chi huyền thủy. Three lakes are linked by underground culverts. Nhuận Trạch Lake lies before the tomb axis. Điện Lake lies before the temple axis. Ngưng Thúy Lake lies before Bửu Thành. They send the water winding through the tomb. It was a clever way the builders of old found to guide water. Three bridges cross Ngưng Thúy Lake.

The speed came from the circumstances. Emperor Thiệu Trị died suddenly on November 4, 1847, at the age of 40. He had not yet prepared a tomb for himself. His father, Emperor Minh Mạng, had been very different: he spent 14 years weighing and choosing a site before he had his tomb built. Emperor Tự Đức, the son chosen as his successor, had to build his father a tomb as soon as he took the throne. That haste reflected his devotion as a son. It also reflected the last wishes of Thiệu Trị, who asked for a simple and thrifty tomb.

Thiệu Trị himself was the eldest son of Minh Mạng. He came to the throne in 1841 and reigned for six years and nine months. He was a devoted son. He oversaw the completion of the tomb of Minh Mạng in 1843. He also wrote the Thánh Đức Thần Công stele in his own hand, in praise of his father. He was also a poet, and left about 3,700 poems. He cared for his people, and later generations remember him as an emperor who had the people at heart.

But he also carried on his father's ban on the Catholic faith, and he had a number of French missionaries imprisoned and sentenced. That policy led to the last chapter of his life. In April 1847, French warships sent by Admiral Cecille attacked Da Nang. The French demanded religious freedom and the release of the missionary Lefebvre. The Nguyễn troops had outdated weapons and were easily defeated. By some accounts, Emperor Thiệu Trị was left tense and deeply aggrieved after that attack. Less than seven months later, he died. Eleven years later, in 1858, France attacked Da Nang again. By then, Emperor Thiệu Trị had long been at rest here in Xương Lăng.

Biểu Đức Hall, on the temple axis, honors the emperor and his highest-ranking consort, Phạm Thị Hằng. She was later known as Empress Dowager Từ Dụ. She lived to about 90 and saw the reigns of many Nguyễn emperors. As the mother of Emperor Tự Đức, and a woman known for her virtue, she had a strong influence on her son. Từ Dũ Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City is named after her, using Từ Dũ, a familiar reading of her name.

The Thánh Đức Thần Công stele here is the third link in a chain of filial piety in the Nguyễn dynasty. Minh Mạng wrote such a stele for Gia Long. Thiệu Trị wrote one for Minh Mạng. Tự Đức wrote one for Thiệu Trị, and that is the stele that stands here today. Four emperors, three steles, one unbroken line of devotion.

Thiệu Trị was an important middle link in the Nguyễn dynasty. Before him came the majestic Minh Mạng, and after him the poetic Tự Đức. He was gifted, devoted to his father and caring toward his people. Yet his ban on the Catholic faith also made relations with the West ever more strained. Those 10 hurried months of building left behind a place that is in no hurry at all. The water still flows through the three lakes, quietly, as it did on the day Xương Lăng was finished.