Established as the capital of newly unified Vietnam in 1802 under the reign of emperor Gia Long, Hue played a vital role as the political, cultural, and religious center of the empire.

[1] The complex consists of Hoàng thành (the Imperial City), Kinh thành (the Citadel), and the Tử Cấm Thành (Purple Forbidden City), as well as associated monuments outside of the city, including the tombs of the emperors Gia Long, Minh Mạng, Thiệu Trị, Tự Đức, Dục Đức, Đồng Khánh, and Khải Định, and a string of temples, pagodas, and other spiritual sites.

[2] The structures of The Complex of Huế Monuments are carefully placed within the natural setting of the site and aligned with the concept of oriential geomancy and Five elements[3] which including Five Cardinal Points (center, west, east, north, south), the Five Elements (earth, metal, wood, water, fire), and the Five Colors (yellow, white, blue, black, red).

The natural geographic composition of a pair of river and mountain is a significant regional feature of the site from Northern to the Southern of Vietnam.

The royal architecture of Huế is a blend of traditional styles from former Vietnamese dynasties, the quintessence of Chinese fine arts, the selected elements on the basis of national consciousness and some Westernizations brought by French architects working for Emperor Gia Long.