The Citadel
The Citadel was the imperial palace form the early nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century. Emperor Gia Long, who ruled Vietnam form 1802 to 1819, based it on the Forbidden City in Beijing. Many of the palace buildings were destroyed during the Tet offensive of 1968, when the Vietcong and NVA held out here for 24 days, but it is still a very impressive place. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and restoration work is taking place.