The An Dinh Palace in Hue City has been known as not only a beautiful work that combines French architecture with a bit of the grandeur of Vietnamese design that resembles the Hue Imperial Palace, but also the place that witnessed the ups and downs in Vietnam during the life of Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam’s feudal regime. An Dinh Palace was once An Dinh Residence, a wooden work like other resident palaces of kings and queens under the Nguyen Dynasty. It was built in 1902 by King Dong Khanh (who reigns from 1886-1888) as the private residence of 18-year-old Prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Dao who ascended the throne and changed his name to Khai Dinh (1885-1925). It was the place where King Khai Dinh and his concubine Hoang Thi Cuc (1890-1980) gave birth to Prince Nguyen Phuc Vinh Thuy, later Emperor Bao Dai.  The front of An Dinh Palace seen from the south of An Cuu River has traits
of both a private residence and a public building. |  Crown prince Nguyen Phuc Vinh Thuy (later King Bao Dai) at the time
when he was allowed by his father to live in An Dinh Palace. |  Large halls are lit up and ventilated naturally thanks to the big doors and spacious corridors. |  A bronze handle attached to the timber gate. |  A bronze door lock engraved with word “France”. |  The front of An Dinh Palace with large eaves supported by round-shaped pillars
and decorative patterns and bas-reliefs of French architecture from the 19th century. |  A large staircase is located right in the center of the guest room. |   It takes time, effort and money to restore the walls and pictures. |  The entrance gate and the octagonal tower have architectural traits of Hue imperial court. |
An Dinh Palace was officially expanded during the nine-year reign of King Khai Dinh with a larger estate and some architectural works. It aimed at creating a more spacious residence to commemorate the place where the king lived and later presented it to his son – Prince Vinh Thuy as his private residence. To restore the Palace, the King bought more land from the locals living behind the palace, increasing the acreage to over 23,000m2 and ordered the building of new architectural works from reinforced concrete with a western style. After the restoration, the name was called An Dinh. Up to 1945 when King Bao Dai abdicated the throne, An Dinh Palace was the place where solemn receptions or ceremonies of the imperial court were held with the participation of members of royal families, courtiers and officials and families of the French Protective Government. An Dinh Palace is one of a few places with its history closely attached to the life of kings under the Nguyen Dynasty and their next of kin, notably King Bao Dai who was influenced by the western lifestyle and culture.
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