Kiến Trung Palace @ Hue Historical Citadel [Vietnam]

Standing at odds with the many ancient buildings within Hue Historical Citadel, Kiến Trung Palace was however a refreshing sight with its imposing height, size and contrasting use of red-lacquered windows! 

Located towards the back of Vietnamese last dynastic capital, it was "destroyed by the Viet Minh during the Indochina Wars", and reconstruction took place more than a century later, with completion only in 2023. 

Let's proceed to take a look at the palace said to be the residence for the last two emperors of the Nguyen dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1802 till 1945. 

One of two pavilions flanking the palace which was originally built in 1923, and lasted only about 24 years. It was like a Chinese pavilion, yet not like one. Mom looked like one of the noble ladies with that pose; without dressing like one! 

More photographs with the iconic building.

A close-up look of the palace; said to be "designed in the eclectic style, combining elements of Italianate, French Baroque, and traditional Vietnamese architecture". What I found more captivating were the excessive use of ceramic decorations.

As with many historical attractions in China, South Korea, Thailand and even Malaysia, you can also rent the traditional local attire for a fee. This is something you wouldn't see me doing since I get irritated when it is too warm, and I am always worried about hidden fees.

The welcome room, flushed with chandeliers, and decorations that would have not be stranger to most palaces in Europe. Those who know the history of Vietnam would know it was colonized by the French, influencing the culture, the architecture and even the food.

On display behind the glass cabinets would the collection of English porcelains that was more than a century old. Not sure if they were rescued from the palace but they looked too well-preserved, without any chip. 

This pretty lady was Empress Nam Phương; the last empress of dynastic Vietnam, who was dressed in the traditional wedding attire in the portrait. Borned in 1913, she gave birth to two princes and three princess, and died in 1963 in France. 

I wouldn't of think too much about the mix of porcelain and a violin until I took a closure look at the information label. Darn, this was one of only five porcelain violins in the world, and handcrafted by violinist and artisan Nguyen Xuan Huy!

A traditional sedan; honestly, it looked a bit too compact.

I would be surprised if it was used by the emperor / empress.

Portrait of Emperor Khải Định, and his son, and future emperor, Bảo Đại. 

When we were visited the palace back in 2025, there was an exhibition talking about Vietnamese ceramics, some of which were a few centuries old! Although labelled as cultural heritage, they meant little for a non-cultural person like me.

I was curious, however, with the above. Called lime pots, they "are small traditional containers used to hold slaked lime paste (calcium hydroxide), which is a key ingredient for chewing betel quid across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Malay Archipelago.".

The men's ao dai looked so comfortable; I actually wouldn't mind getting one set for the fun of it! So long they are not too expensive! Anyone has recommendation make one in Vietnam?

More porcelain...

Honestly, I thought this was a trophy.

Turned out to be  flower vase! 

A cafe where visitors can take a rest. I would love to do so but as I was on a day trip, the timing wasn't as relaxed and we still have one more item on our itinerary! Definitely an excuse for me to spend a few nights in Hue in the future! 

Well, I would have totally assumed I would sit on these chairs.

This corridor was flushed with information of the last two emperors of the nguyen dynasty, with bios of Emperors Khải Định and Bảo Đại, the abdication of the last emperor (signed in Kiến Trung Palace), some info of the palace and many photographs. 

View of the scene in front of Kiến Trung Palace.

Ahead would be Thai Hoa Palace.

I don't know you but I absolutely adore the million pieces of small ceramic tiles that covered almost the entirety of the palace's facade. They might not seem much from afar and the devil is in the details as you step closer! 

p.s. cannon looked more like a decorative item, than a historical one. 

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Address

Within Hue Historical Citadel, 

Hue City, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Click HERE for My Day Trip to Hue City: The Former Imperial Capital, with Chinese Speaking Guide

Nanyang Homemade Curry (南洋咖哩) @ Yishun Park Hawker Centre [Singapore] #yishunparkhawkercentre

Timbre+ no longer manages Yishun Park Hawker Centre and despite no longer being able to enjoy the 10% discount using the app; I still made a trip down earlier this evening.

All because I was craving for curry chicken, and remember there was a stall specializing in curry at the hawker centre; Nanyang Homemade Curry (南洋咖哩)! 

It's literally all curry dishes on the menu, save for the bread and plain rice! Selection included chicken, fish, mutton, vegetables and even pork! I am traditionalist; chicken it shall be! 

Curry Chicken Drumstick - opted for this even though under the chicken option, there were also curry chicken wing, and even curry chicken chop rice. Drumstick didn't seem like there would be a lot of meat but well, satisfying a craving took priority.

It's actually not just the drumstick as it included a chicken thigh too, plus potato; latter of which was passed over to Alex as I am not a potato person. First thing I did was to take a sip of the curry! 

Thick, creamy curry that tasted rich of fattening coconut milk with just the perfect level of spiciness for me that wasn't overpowering! And you know what goes well with curry? Plain, white rice! Saying goodbye to my carbo-restricted diet today! 

Unfortunately, the rice was a bit hard and I wondered if it was on purpose for diners to soften the grains with curry gravy! Chicken used tasted like it was frozen, and that kind of marred the experience too. 

Nevertheless, craving satisfied! 

p.s. controlling myself not to eat too much rice.

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Address

51 Yishun Ave 11, #01-27,

Yishun Park Hawker Centre

Singapore 768867

Map

As above.

Pricing

Curry Chicken Drumstick - S$6.30

Plain Rice - S$0.80

Sakana-No-Suppu: Halal Certified Japanese Collagen Fish Soup & Udon @ Alexandra Retail Centre (ARC) in Singapore

While waiting for Alex to knock off from work, I searched the surroundings of his workplace for places to have dinner and Sakana-No-Suppu, with a Google review score of 4.8 from over 180 reviewers, caught my attention! 

Menu as attached; halal certified, its unique offering of Japanese Collagen Fish Soup & Udon piqued my curiosity, as I wondered how different could it be from our local fish soup.

Sakana-No-Suppu - translated as original fresh fish slices in signature seafood collagen soup, the very Japanese element would be the dose of dried seaweed! Broth wise, it's light and not as heavily seasoned, with the shredded lettuce and seaweed gaining an upper hand. Those looking for flavorful seafood soup will be disappointed although from the Japanese cuisine perspective; it's didn't veer much. 

While the price wasn't cheap, we were at least given quite a generous serving of sliced fish that tasted fresh and chunky. Those fishball like stuff were actually tofu fish cakes that had soaked fluffy insides and felt less sinful than your typical fish cakes. 

Aburi Tori Bagge Udon - literally served in a bag, some of you would know I don't like udon but this was too interesting to give it a miss! You have three creams to choose from; signature nitsuke cream, special malay cream and smokey prawn reduction cream. We were with the signature, and what the hell was prawn reduction cream?! 

Again covered with a generous sprinkling of dried seaweed, I was prepared to pass all of them to Alex, who was more a noodle lover compared to me, after taking a spoonful. That didn't materialize at all.

This was a keeper for sure; cooked like a pasta, the thick udon noodles had a super soft texture that didn't feel heavy on the tummy and were coated with the addictively delicious nitsuke cream sauce that wasn't cloying for the palate, and would do well as the to-go sauce for any pasta! Chicken hidden in the cream was pretty good; with a tenderness soaked thoroughly in the cream. 

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Compared between the two, the udon was the definite winner but should you prefer a healthier meal for dinner, the soup would be a better bet for sure. I am already thinking of going back for another bagge; maybe the seafood one. 

Address

460 Alexandra Rd, #02-42,

Alexandra Retail Centre (ARC),

Singapore 119963

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

As above.

Instagram Page

https://www.instagram.com/sakananosuppu/?hl=en

Pricing

Sakana-No-Suppu - S$11.80

Aburi Tori Bagge Udon - S$11.90

(NETT)