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Published: September 25th 2007
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Hue, the imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty. And such an incredible city! Hue became the capital city in around 1802, and lasted until the early-mid 20th Century when the French took over, moving the capital back to Hanoi. The legacy hasn't been lost however, the city is full of imperial delight, with relics such as the citadel and numerous royal tombs and pagodas. The Perfume River runs through Hue, a beautiful river adding to the grace of the city. One of the great charms of Hue is that it dosent feel like a tourist city. It is a functioning city and as such, few enterprises are directed towards tourists. Additionally, the layout of the city and scenery surrounding it are worth a visit alone.
We hired our hotel owner and a friend of his to take us to some of Hue's sights for a day, and what a memorable day it was! Patrick, Thanh, Hien, and I left our hotel about 9am amid a light rain and it was a delightful change in temperature after Hoi An. It was quite cool, probably in the mid to low 20's, and it was incredible how much energy we had
with the cool weather. The drive to our first royal tomb Khai Dinh, was a treat which I will not forget anytime soon. We drove through the early morning streets, passing over lovely canals, passed morning wedding parties, and before we knew it were in the country side. The scenery was spectacular : green, lush, with rice fields and mountains in the back ground. Amazingly the hills directly surrounding the tomb we covered in old growth pine forest. Our guide, Than, told us that the emporors like the pine trees (imported from Europe) because their tall straight form was simbolic of the people of Vietnam. Khai Dinh is tucked away about 6 km out of Hue city, and is an impressive architectural sight. It was built in the 1920s and has a definite mix of European and Asian architecture, which doesn't detract from the tomb at all. I think the most beautiful part of it was the interior mosiac and "bas-relief" work - so intricate with lively, lovely colours! It took 11 yrs to complete the tomb, and seeing the artistry that went into the place, you don't wonder why.
Next we went to a pagoda which was serene
and so quiet - i think that was the quietest place we had yet been. It was very peaceful and was full of the smells of burning incense. During our journey that day we stopped along the road and actually were able to see the production of incense; rows and rows of every colour were laid out in dramtic fashion at the side of a small country road.
We also saw the tomb of Emporer Tu Duc, built in the 1860s. Despite it's state of relative disrepair, it still had a sence of grace and peacefullness that it was origionally meant to have. A large complex comprising of several acres with forests, orchards, gardens, centered around a beautiful lake, it would have been a beautiful retreat back in its day before it was made into a tomb.
One memorable event was driving through the country among rice fields, on a tiny dirt road. THe rice fields went on and on, and felt very far from town although in reality we were only a couple kilometres from Hue city. There were graceful white storks amidst the fields and they added to the splendour of the sight.
We spent the
latter part of the afternoon visiting the old citadel of Hue, however it was rather a dissapointment as most of it had been destroyed by typhoons and a succession of wars.
The next day we went on a guided tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which runs along the 17th parallel and divided North and South Vietnam for approximately 20 years. This area wasn't supposed to receive fighting during the American-Vietnam War, however it saw some of the war's most brutal battles. The DMZ war sites weren't all that interesting as most of the monuments and equipment had been taken apart by scrap hunters. What really told the story of the war was the landscape, which once lush and thick, now was scraggly with dwarfed trees and bushes. Chemical defoliants released on the landscape during the war are still in the soil, and it is hard for vegetation to survive. Nevertheless, the area was still breathtaking.
We are now in Hanoi, the ancient and current capital of Vietnam. It is an interesting city in that there is a lot of French influence here, from the little patisserie bakeshops to the architecture of many of the colonial buildings. There
is a beautiful little lake in the middle of town, which our hotel is situated near, and it is lovely to walk around it and admire it. We haven't done mucn in Hanoi, mostly have been relaxing and drinking a lot of Vietnamese coffee and playing crib (in which I have skunked Patrick twice 😉.
Today we visited Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. The area around the mausoleum is under strict surveillance, and when in the building itself you must obey strict orders and not talk at all , and must have your hands clearly at your side at all times. The even confiscated our bottle of water. We stood in line to walk by the embalmed Ho Chi Minh, a rather strange experience. It is evident however how much the Vietnamese admire and adore 'Uncle Ho', especially those of an older generation.
On a side note, we have included a couple photos of the astounding way in which Vietnamese people are able to carry huge loads; often on the backs of motorbikes, requiring amazing balance and skill.
Tomorrow we are off on a 3 day tour of Halong Bay, then we go to North West Vietnam and visit
Sapa.
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