Meridian Gate

About this audio guide

This guide to the Meridian Gate in Hue centers on the afternoon of the thirtieth of August, nineteen forty-five, when Vietnam's last emperor stood on this exact platform to address a crowd of tens of thousands. You'll hear about the delegation sent from Hanoi to receive the royal seal and sword, and the very different ways witnesses remembered the crowd's reaction. The gate itself dates to eighteen thirty-three, built under Emperor Minh Mang as the ceremonial threshold of the Nguyen dynasty's Imperial City.