THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ — To commemorate 200 years of death of Emperor Gia Long in the Lunar calendar, Huế Monuments Conservation Centre held the opening ceremony of an exhibition on Emperor Gia Long at Long An Palace, Huế Royal Antiquities Museum. 

The exhibition on Emperor Gia Long introduces to the greater public an overview of his background, career, contributions as the first king of the Nguyễn Dynasty focusing on construction and protection of the nation through antiquities, documents and images. A part of the exhibition introduces values of ecological landscapes in the mausoleums of the Emperor and other members of the Royal Family. 

Visitors at the exhibition's opening ceremony. - Photo: Facebook Huế Royal Antiquities Museum

Emperor Gia Long’s real name was Nguyễn Phước Ánh and he lived from February 8, 1762 to February 3, 1820. He was the third son of Prince Nguyễn Phước Luân and Nguyễn Thị Hoàn. Emperor Gia Long founded the Nguyễn Dynasty and was credited with uniting the nation’s territory, giving Việt Nam the official country’s name, consolidating machineries from central to local areas, and setting the foundation for the economic, legal, cultural and social development through many activities and specific policies. Under his dynasty, he continued to establish Việt Nam’s sovereignty on Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa archipelago. 

The exhibition at Long An palace opens the public to new knowledge on the first king of the Nguyễn Dynasty.

On the same day, at Thế Tổ Miếu, an ancestral temple to Việt Nam's emperors in the Imperial City, Huế, Managing board Nguyễn Phúc Tộc celebrated 200 years of the death of Emperor Gia Long. 

The exhibition will end after the Lunar New Year (February 14, 2021). — VNS