The Imperial City of Hue was the palace where the Nguyen emperors lived and ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. It has a similar purpose to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Like the Forbidden City, the inner part of the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City, did not allow commoners to enter. The Imperial City was opened to everyone after Vietnam's last emperor, Bao Dai, stepped down from power. The Imperial City would later be a battleground in the Battle of Hue. Even today, visitors can see signs that the battle happened since many of the buildings still have bullet holes in them.