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Published: June 27th 2012
This morning, I have a little bit of time before my flight to Hue, so I decide to venture out of the hotel for breakfast. The sun is still hiding, but it feels even hotter than usual. Vietnam has a long tradition of street food. Vendors in the old quarter patrol the streets in the early morning already with baskets of delicious snack foods such as tamarind pods, pastries, baguette sandwiches, croissants, sticky rice, and fresh fruit. Some cooks carry savory or sweet treats wrapped in banana leaves, which are steamed or roasted. I decide to go with baguette, croissants, and fruit, accompanied with strong Vietnamese coffee, the whole thing for a mere 8,000 dongs (40 cents). Excellent once more! I wander the streets for a while before returning to my hotel where a taxi is picking me up for my ride to the airport. I observe one more time the amazing skills of my driver to the sound of Vietnamese techno music. At the airport check-in, the process is very similar to the traffic conditions in downtown Hanoi. I have to force myself through the crowds or will never be able to get on this flight, so I smile and
push. My neighbors nod and smile right back. It almost feels like I am one of them.
Our flight is relatively uneventful and we land in Central Vietnam. Flecked with rice paddies and home to a burgeoning fishing industry, the inhabited regions of Central Vietnam are largely limited to its narrow coastal strip. Bound by the forested peaks of the Truong Son Range to the west, with the white shores of the South China Sea to its east, Central Vietnam is a study in contrast. It offers several fine beaches as well as a rare assortment of historical treasures including three of Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage sites I am very excited to be visiting, namely the Hue Citadel, My Son, and the old quarter of Hoi An.
The temperature here is 39 degrees Celsius, but it is the dry season compared to the rainy season in Hanoi. The sky is blue and the sun is out. I meet my new guide for the entire week, Tuan or Mr. Tommy. He drops me off at the Asian hotel, my residence for the next three nights. It is a boutique hotel with a view. I am particularly impressed by the
California king size bed and the flat screen TV. This afternoon, I am on my own. I write down some sights worth seeing on a local map and off I go. One of the most significant cultural and historic centers of Vietnam, the former imperial city of Hue is celebrated for its tradition of intellectual thought, Buddhist piety, and the sophistication of its cuisine. Did somebody say food? Despite the damage it suffered during the Indochina Wars, it remains a place of great beauty, with the Perfume River flowing through it. To the north is the citadel, containing the Forbidden City and the royal palaces, while to the south are many ancient pagodas and tombs, and the town’s French Quarter. But all this is on tomorrow’s agenda. Today, I simply wander the streets of the old city.
My first stop is at the Dong Ba Market. Hue’s bustling Dong Ba Market is located to the north of the Perfume River, near the southwest corner of the Citadel. A popular local shopping center, it attracts huge crowds daily. Stalls here literally overflow with an astonishing variety of goods, from fish and meat to fresh produce (or as fresh as it
can be in this heat), from clothing to toys, from shoes to cosmetics, from tools to spices, and everything in between. I am told the market is at its busiest in the morning, but it is still fascinating to me in the afternoon. It feels like every person in Vietnam has a business and is trying to sell something, but after years of communism, people now enjoy free trade. I let myself be guided by the noise and smell through the many streets of Hue and walk for what seems like hours. My feet complain and they hurt even more, it seems, every time we walk by a sign that reads foot and full body massage. The one next to my hotel says: “You are strongly requested to use this service after your long journey to Hue”. Maybe I ought to try it tomorrow. After a quick rest, I decide to stay in the town’s French Quarter, where my hotel is located, and go with the recommendation of my guide, “La Carambole” restaurant. Along with its palpably French atmosphere, I am served excellent food yet again. For my beer drinking friends – I know there are a few of you
reading my bIog – I am told that “Tiger” is excellent and, at 90 cents a bottle, some of you would be quite happy. I make it an early evening, tired from my long walk under this extreme heat. I write my blog for a bit and turn on the TV. Wimbledon is on. I watch for a few minutes and quickly fall asleep.
The next morning, I’m up early for a Perfume or Song Huong River boat tour. I am told it is one of the main highlights of a visit to Hue. Though not very long, the slow-winding river is extraordinarily beautiful. The effect is enhanced by the reflection of the Citadel, pagodas, towers, and the scenic countryside. Added to this spectacular view is the picturesque river traffic – women sculling tiny, single-soared vessels, larger boats piled up with fish and fresh vegetables, and fishermen in narrow crafts, casting their nets or retrieving fish traps. I enjoy the beautiful ride until we disembark at the Thien Mu Pagoda, rising on a bluff above the northwest bank of the river. Thien Mu or Heavenly Lady Pagoda is an iconic symbol of Hue. Founded in 1601 by Lord Nguyen
Hoang, the pagoda is dominated by a seven-story octagonal tower, Thap Phuoc Duyen, which translates as Source of Happiness Tower. A pavilion close by shelters a huge bronze bell cast in 1710. A young monk rings the bell that can purportedly be heard at least 6 miles away. I should add that young orphan monks live here, go to school, learn about Buddhism, and pray until they are 18. At that point, they can choose to leave or become adult monks somewhere else. The monks’ quarters and gardens are at the back of the temple. This is a very peaceful place and I wish we could stay longer.
Our next destination is the Hue Citadel or Imperial City. At the very heart of the vast Hue Citadel lies the Imperial City, also known as Dai Noi or the Great Enclosure. Entrance to this royal city is via the imposing Ngo Mon Gate, beyond which a bridge leads between lotus-filled ponds to the splendid Thai Hoa Palace. Behind this is an open courtyard that overlooks a stretch of land, once home to the Forbidden Purple City. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1993, the Citadel was established by Emperor Gia
Long in 1805 and designed using the rules of Chinese geomancy, along with the military principles favored by French architect Sebastien de Vauban. The result is an unusual yet elegant complex, where beautiful palaces and temples coexist with massive ramparts, bastions, and moats. We see the Cot Co or Flag Tower looming over the citadel at 120 feet, the Nine Deities’ Canons, and the Five Phoenix Watchtower. We continue on to the Thai Hoa Palace or Hall of Supreme Harmony, housing the throne room of the Nguyen Emperors. It is also the most impressive of Hue’s remaining palaces. I close my eyes and it is very easy to envisage the hall as the venue for coronations, royal anniversaries, and the reception of ambassadors. Then, on either side of a paved courtyard, just behind the Thai Hoa, are the Halls of the Mandarins. One hall was for the military, and the other for civil mandarins.
No man except for the Emperor was permitted to set foot in the 25-acre city-within-a-city known as Tu Cam Thanh or Forbidden Purple City – any male who crossed its threshold was condemned to death. Only the queen, nine separate ranks of concubines, female servants,
and court eunuchs were allowed to enter. We also wander through the beautiful Royal Theater, Royal Library, and Dien Tho Palace, once the exclusive preserve of the Queen Mothers. The Hung Mieu temple is renowned for its refined design and fine roof carvings, the The Mieu temple or the Temple of Generations is dedicated to the Nguyen Dynasty and contains altars honoring 10 of the 13 emperors. We walk through the gardens and come face to face with an elephant roaming the grounds. I am enjoying this so much I did not realize it was time for lunch already.
In the afternoon, the temperature reaches 43 degrees Celsius and the sun is lethal. I didn’t know it could be that hot and humid. I decide to rent a bike and after an hour and a half, my clothes are dripping wet as if I had just jumped into the Perfume River. I cycle back to my hotel and go for a long swim at the hotel pool, followed by a great one-hour Vietnamese massage at $10. My formidable dinner at Y Thao Garden consists of spring rolls that I pick from a marvelous vegetable sculpted peacock (see picture), vegetable
soup, steamed shrimp cocktail, a Hue special pancake, an amazing fig salad with pork and shrimp, mixed steam rice wrapped in a lotus flower, a green bean cake, and fruit. I indulged myself after a long day and that, as far as I know, has never hurt anybody. Until next time…
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John
non-member comment
Eunuchs???
I do hope that you were spared having to become a eunuch in order to enjoy the visit to the Forbidden Purple City. No matter how lovely the city would be, that price is a bit extreme...