After Tự Đức, Minh Mạng was the next emperor whose tomb I went to see. After a short car ride, we arrived at the sight, and as expected, this was a massive place.
Minh Mạng was the second emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, who reigned from 1820 to 1839. Apparently, he was well known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam, completing the final Vietnamese conquest of Champa, temporary annexation of Cambodia, and his rigid Confucian orthodoxy.
As usual with Vietnamese tombs, there are different sections. The first section I saw was the area depicted in the photos above. It is a building that is prominently positioned, and it has open walls for visitors to simply walk in and check things out, which is exactly what I have done.
And then there's this other area surrounded by water, in a relatively serene and peaceful setting. The setting is rather calming, except for the fact that numerous visitors were trying to take some fancy photos, by getting dressed up in period clothing and walking as if they were ancient royalty. It was a slight pain to get photos without being disturbed by these people who hoarded the spaces whenever they can.
In any case, I was able to explore the area nonetheless. There was an area in the back that was inaccessible, so I slowly made my way back to my car. There was one more tomb to visit that day.
