The residence of the 19th century Nguyen Emperor
Tu Duc
(fig.) includes a lakeside
pavilion, known as Xun Khiem, which this ruler used to relax and write
poetry.
Though after his death, the palace
complex was intended to become his tomb, the emperor is
in fact buried elsewhere, on a secret location, and the
palace tomb is but a
cenotaph.
Tomb of Nguyen Emperor Tu Duc
The emperor's
poems are on display inside the main palace building
known as Hoa Khiem Palace, painted on glass in reverse
and then framed backward, thus showing the golden text
in a readable fashion, decorated with landscapes and
other scenes, akin to the Chinese art of
nei hua.
