Hear nha nhac in the theatre it was written for
10am and 3pm, 35 minutes
Nha nhac, elegant music, was the court music of the Vietnamese royal court from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century and is inscribed by UNESCO. Duyet Thi Duong, inside the Imperial Citadel, is the first theatre built for it.
Why it's unique
The theatre was raised under the Nguyen nearly two hundred years ago and restored from 2004 by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre. Hearing an inscribed intangible heritage performed in the purpose-built room it was composed for, rather than in a hotel function suite over dinner, is the distinction.
Performances run thirty-five minutes, daily at 10am and 3pm.
Before you go
It is inside the Citadel and included on that ticket, and almost everyone walks straight past the door because the enclosure is enormous and the theatre is small and unassuming.
Check the two showtimes when you buy your ticket and plan the rest of the Citadel around them, rather than hoping to stumble on a performance. Miss both and you have missed it.