VietNamNet Bridge – The romantic Huong (Perfume) River, Hue city royal citadel, ancient Thien Mu pagoda, etc. are located in Saigon’s center, at Ngu Lam Garden, owned by Nguyen Thanh Tung.

Pointing to the over 1000sq.m garden, Tung, 40, said he lived in the central city of Hue for only five years, when he was a kid, but the romantic and ancient beauty of Hue is etched in his soul.

Tung said the idea to build a miniature model Hue royal citadel flashed when he was a high-school student. Tung has visited many countries but for him, Hue’s beauty is extraordinary. He began to turn the idea into reality in 2000.

He finalized the design of the miniature model in 2002 and began constructing it. Firstly, he tried to build the work by wood and coat by cement. However, the timber stretched in hot weather. Tung asked for help from senior carpenters in Hue and HCM City but they all failed to help him build a miniature model that could resist the weather and last for at least 100 years.

Tung also looked for descendants of workers who built the Hue royal citadel several hundred years ago but they could not help. Some suggested building a roof for the miniature model but Tung didn’t agree because he was afraid that it would be unnatural.

One day, he suddenty thought that the Hue royal citadel was built by stone so why he didn’t build the miniature with ground stone and cement.

Since then, Tung and nearly 20 artisans worked for five years to build the artwork Ngu Lam Vien.

The miniature model has impressed thousands of visitors, who they were flabbergasted by this work and felt like they were seeing the real Hue ancient citadel.

Ngu Lam Vien is open for free. After four years, it has attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

“Whenever I feel nostalgic I come here to seek peace of mind,” said Duong, a man from Hue who lives in Saigon.

The miniature model of Hue ancient citadel at Ngu Lam Vien:

Source: VNE