Close-up of Vietnam's 'Roman arena'

Tiger Boxing - Elephant Re is located in Truong Da village, Thuy Bieu ward, Hue city. It was once the site of life-and-death fights between elephants and tigers, which were once famous and were known as the 'Roman arena of Vietnam'.

Tiger Fist is not only a special and unique relic of Vietnam but also the only remaining arena in Southeast Asia.

Tiger Fist was used to organize deadly battles between elephants and tigers for the king, courtiers and people to watch, and at the same time train the elephants to get used to the fighting atmosphere.

Ho Quyen was built during the Nguyen Dynasty, in the year Canh Dan (1830), near Long Tho hill, 4km from the capital. The last match took place in 1904 under King Thanh Thai.

Tiger Fist has a simple but sturdy structure. It was built with bricks, stone and good mortar, so today the arena is still quite intact.

Quyen Lake is shaped like a scarf, with two concentric circular walls. The inner ring is 5.90m high, the outer ring is 4.75m high, both walls plus the strip of land in the middle form a thickness of 4m at the top and 5m at the base.

The upper surface of the strip of land is as high as the outer wall, forming a circular path (interrupted only at the king's grandstand). The diameter of the basin is 44m, the perimeter of the outer wall is 140m. Around the wall, there are 5 tiger cages and a large arched door for elephants to enter and exit for fighting.

The king's grandstand faces south and is built higher than the normal grandstands that run around the arena. Where the king sits, the body of the arena is widened in thickness.

The elephant gate is 1.90m wide and nearly 4m high. The path above the archway is narrowed by a bridge. The archway has two large wooden wings and stone hinges. Opposite the king's grandstand are five tiger cages.

Tiger Fist in Hue is a special and unique relic of Vietnam , and a rare relic of the world, recognized as a national relic. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage since 1993.