Vietnam's unique hundred-year-old arena in Hue

The Ho Quyen relic is located in the Complex of Hue Monuments , recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1993. This is a special arena built to organize life-and-death matches between elephants and tigers, serving the entertainment needs of the king, mandarins and people.

Ho Quyen Arena was built in 1830 under the reign of King Minh Mang, located in Thuy Bieu Ward, Thuan Hoa District, Hue City, about 4km from Hue Citadel. This relic was recognized as a national relic (artistic architecture) on September 26, 1998.

The Tiger Arena is shaped like a scarf with two walls, a design reminiscent of the ancient Roman Colosseum (Rome, Italy). The inner wall is 5.9m high and the outer wall is 4.75m high, tilted at an angle of 10 to 15 degrees, creating stability.

The perimeter of the outer wall is 145m, the diameter of the basin is 44m, solidly designed to ensure the safety of spectators during matches. The wall is built of bricks, stone and lime mortar, ensuring solidity, to this day the structure is still intact despite having existed for nearly two centuries.

The highest position in the area was where the king sat to watch the fight between elephants and tigers. On the left were steps for the king and his officials, and on the right were for officials and soldiers.

Opposite the king's grandstand area is a system of 5 tiger cages built from two walls and partitions creating separate cages, including 3 small cages and 2 large cages.

The wooden doors of the tiger cages were pulled up by a rope system when the tigers were released into the arena and pulled down when they were locked in. Each cage had a water tank for the tigers to drink from and a wooden slat ventilation system that allowed soldiers to check on and feed the tigers.

Tiger Fist Arena seen from above.

Elephants enter the arena through a separate gate, 1.90m wide and nearly 4m high. The gate has a small bridge, and two large wooden doors are attached with stone hinges. During the Nguyen Dynasty, elephant and tiger fights were held periodically every year, with solemn ceremonies.

These matches were not only for entertainment purposes but also to train the elephants, create a martial spirit and help the elephants get used to the atmosphere of combat. In 1904, under the reign of King Thanh Thai, the match between elephants and tigers was said to be the last between these two opponents. Photo taken inside the Hue Imperial City.