I was told by the guide at the Citadel that Vua Khai Dinh was gay. That explains the lavish, out-of-the-norm architecture of his tomb. He spent his last years living planning and building this tomb. I wish they put more info around this place. Perhaps more historical information about the emperor's life.

Of the sites in Hue, this one is the most in nature. It is quite nice to get away from the city for a little and wander around the pond and amongst the trees at this tomb. It is a ways out of the city so you will need a driver or a motorbike to visit. We arranged a driver through our hotel and it wasn't very expensive. It is also nice to get a little bit into the countryside and see what that looks like. The tomb complex itself has a few buildings with interesting architecture as well as some terracotta warrior style statues which were really cool. We probably walked around for about an hour to see the various buildings and gardens. I would definitely recommend doing this if you have the time. We didn't have a lot more than 24 hours in Hue but we did the Imperial city in the afternoon after we got in and then did the tombs the next morning before we left.