Flag Tower over 200 years old of Nguyen Dynasty

The Hue Flag Tower or Hue Imperial Citadel Flagpole was built in 1807 under the reign of King Gia Long, at the same time as the construction of the Hue Citadel. The Flag Tower is located next to the Perfume River, in front of the Hue Imperial City, and is one of the important structures, restored many times by the Nguyen Dynasty.

After King Gia Long passed away, King Minh Mang ordered the complete construction of Hue Citadel, and the Flag Tower was also renovated and completed in 1840.

The Flag Tower has three floors, built with bricks (made from low-temperature, rough-burning clay). The first floor is over 5.5 m high, the middle floor is about 6 m high, the top floor is over 6 m high, a total of about 17.5 m. From the ground to the top of the Flag Tower is over 54 m. In the past, on each floor of the Flag Tower, the Nguyen Dynasty arranged guards and cannons for defense.

According to historical records, the flagpole was originally made of wood and was over 30 meters high, but was broken by a storm and was replaced by a cast iron pipe during the reign of King Thanh Thai. In 1947, when the French reoccupied Hue, the flagpole was broken by artillery fire. In 1948, the flagpole was rebuilt with reinforced concrete and is 37 meters high. The base of the Flagpole is paved with square bricks and bricks, and has a rainwater drainage system.

On August 23, 1945, the red flag with a yellow star of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam flew on top of the Flag Tower, replacing the Ly-shaped flag of the Nguyen Dynasty. On March 26, 1975, the 12-meter long, 8-meter wide flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was raised on the Flag Tower, marking the liberation of Thua Thien - Hue.

The three floors of the Flag Tower are connected by a system of arches. From the ground to the lower floor there is a small passage on the left side of the Flag Tower. The lower floor connects to the middle floor by a 4 m wide arch, the middle floor connects to the top floor by a 2 m wide arch. The system of steps is made of stone.

Hue's Flag Tower originally had two guard posts on the third floor, where Nguyen Dynasty soldiers took turns resting. Over time and through historical events, these two guard posts were demolished but the old foundations still remain. In 2018, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center restored the two guard posts at a cost of 450 million VND according to the ancient Nguyen Dynasty architecture.

Each floor of Hue's Flag Tower is equipped with cannons for defense.

Each floor has a 1m high railing system decorated with hollow molded tiles.

The drainage system of the floors is made of stone bars.

Before the flag lowering ceremony, the relic security staff prepared offerings including incense, flowers, and fruit.

Mr. Dang Ngoc Thanh, 28 years old, guard of Hue Flag Tower, said that he and his colleagues have to climb to the top of the pole to remove the flag every time it gets caught on the cable.

To replace the 100-square-meter national flag on the Ky Dai, the relic's security guards had to climb to the top of the 37-meter-high pole.

Hue Flag Tower is one of the Nguyen Dynasty's constructions in the heritage system recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage in 1993. Every year, on important holidays, the national flag on the Flag Tower will be replaced with a new one.

Standing at Ky Dai, people and tourists can easily observe Huong River, Phu Van Lau, Nghenh Luong Dinh.