Ready to rule: A picture from Duy Tan's coronation at the age of eight in 1907.

THUA THIEN-HUE (VNS)— The life of Vietnamese King Duy Tan – whose short but significant reign has intrigued the nation's historians – is being remembered in a photo exhibition held in the former imperial capital Hue.

Twenty-four photos have been put on display at the Hue Monument Conservation Centre for an exhibition timed to coincide with the king's birthday on August 15.

All of the pictures are the property of Duy Tan's third son, Nguyen Phuoc Bao Vang. Together they track the life of the king, from his coronation at the age of eight through to his re-burial in Hue in 1987.

In 1907, Prince Vinh San took the throne and adopted the name Duy Tan after his father was deposed by the French colonialists.

At the age of seventeen he led a uprising against the French but was captured and exiled to La Reunion island in the Indian Ocean.

Eventually, Duy Tan joined the Free French Forces led by Charles de Gaulle and fought in the World War II, for which he was honoured for his bravery. He was preparing to return to Viet Nam when he died in a plane crash in 1945 in central Africa.

The exhibition is the first to be held about the life of Duy Tan, who is lesser known than other Nguyen kings despite his incredible life and noted patriotism.

It is open to the public at the An Lang Monument in Duy Tan Street in Hue City, the final resting place of Duy Tan and his father. — VNS