Garden houses

The garden houses are a unique feature of Hue. The houses are traditional, privately owned, and set in attractive formal gardens. Some have connections with the old Royal Imperial Court. Hue traditional architecture has long been close associated with the natural environment. The garden houses reflect this association. Each is highly individual - house and garden, people and scenery, plants, clouds and water co-exist and blend with each other in a harmonious context.
Nearly all the garden houses have direct links with the Imperial Court. Some are descendents of royalty or mandarins; others received patronage from the royal family.
The garden houses are an important feature in Vietnam’s cultural landscape. Not only are they old and attractive, but also invaluable resources for understanding the practical applications of the ancient sciences that governed their construction. Even in Hue, very few remain intact, and those that survive do so solely because of the Vietnamese tradition of the beliefs and rituals of ancestor worship.