An Hien Garden House Hue

1. Introduction about An Hien garden house

• Hue has many ancient garden houses and An Hien Garden is one of the best-known in Hue. This garden sits at 68 Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Street, in the North bank of Perfume River.
• It is also a popular tourist attraction because its location is near Hue Citadel, Perfume River, and Thien Mu Pagoda.

2. History of Hue garden house

• The construction of An Hien garden house began in the late 19th century. It is 4,608 square meters.
• Originally, this garden house was for the 18th daughter of Duc Duc emperor, the fifth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty.
• Apart from serving as the princess residence, the garden was also for worshipping and receiving high ranking officials or scholars who visited the Hue Imperial City
• After 1895, it was transferred to Pham Dong Thap, who was a son of a high ranking mandarin in the reign of the first Emperor Gia Long and also a nephew of Empress Mother Tu Du
• A few years later, the house was transferred to Tung Le, and then in 1938, it was purchased by a provincial chief named Nguyen Dinh Chi. After his death, his wife, Dao Thi Yen, used the garden house as her residence.

3. An Hien Garden House Setting

3.1. The entrance

• The entrance leading straight into the garden features a small arched gate made out of mortars and bricks. Along the entrance stands two lines of apricot intertwined together and providing green shade for a hot summer.
• Turn left and pass the screen inscribed with “Tho” (known as longevity), you’ll reach a rectangular shaped lake filled with water lilies and their green rounded leaves.
• An Hien garden house gate faces to Perfume River so it gets the good Fengshui. In Vietnam, we think if your houses get perfect Fengshui, you will get richness, and family members are always in good health.

3.2. The entrance screen

• Long times ago in Vietnam, we cared very much about Fengshui and Privacy. Our houses before were just connecting rooms houses. No high buildings like nowadays.
• So it was very easy for people from outside can see everything inside the house. We needed privacy so that in the middle of the main house and the gate there is a screen. It is also a part of Fengshui as well. 

3.3. The small pond

• The pond at An Hien house.
• Right after the screen is the small pond with beautiful water lilies. It is not only for decoration, Fengshui, but also to be a natural air-conditioner. It makes weather cooler in the summer and warmer in the wintertime.
• Following Fengshui in Oriental philosophy, Feng means the winds and Shui means water. It is an art to make zin and Jang balance.

3.4. The garden

• An Hien ancient garden house is such a truly ecological space converging the flavors of all four seasons. It is home to plenty of kinds of fruits like lychee from the North of Vietnam, mangosteen, durian, jackfruit, and dragon fruits from the South.
• Strawberry and fig in Central Vietnam. Several trees in the garden are dozens of years old.

4. Entrance fee and how to get there?

• A ticket to enter the An Hien garden house costs VND 35,000 (roughly USD 1.30)
• To access An Hien, you can take a cyclo, book a grab bike, or even go for a walk. Also, you can book a Hue City Tour via Culture Pham Travel for having a trip of a lifetime.