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Published: December 6th 2011
The Citadel at Hue
An imposing flag stands high into the air at the main entrance to the Citadel - more like a fort, a reminder of the strength of the Emperor and Viet Nam.In Hue I was dropped off at the hue Backpackers… sister hostel to the Hanoi Backpackers so I knew I would be in for a good time! The staff at the Hue Backpackers are lovely and friendly, especially Lien the assistant manager who is very sweet and helpful (Lien taught me some very useful Vietnamese phrases…). Smiles all round meant a warm welcome. I checked myself in and settled in for an afternoon beer and a read to find out about Hue. Sat on the first floor balcony I met Nina, a Swiss girl also travelling on her own. We got chatting and before long more people started to turn up. First was a large crowd of English (rabble nonetheless whom I was destined to meet again down the road in Hoi An) and a very lovely South African couple called Mike and Zoe. Originally from the Western Cape and Pretoria, Mike and Zoe have spent the last few years travelling the World working on cruise ships as deckhands. I’ll leave it to them to recount the stories of the rich and infamous, but it certainly sounds like an interesting career, albeit bloody hard work.
As the rain
The Citadel Park
Young Vietnamese boys and families congregate in the peaceful park just inside the main exterior walls of the Citadel. intensified, the four of us decided that the best course of action would be to hit the bar, so we did. Sat in the bar we noticed a poster for a trip over the Hai Van pass with an Easy Rider. Easy Riders in Viet Nam are basically tour guides on big bikes. They drive and do the talking at various stop points along the route you simply sit on the back, soak up the environment and snap away with the camera. I recounted an episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson, the Hamster and Captain Slow had taken a trip around Viet Nam on bikes and ridden over the Hai Van pass, so we agreed to do the same the next day. A few beers later and several stories told, happy hour commenced and the night’s drinking picked up in pace. The Hue Backpackers had an Icelandic rep called Willie, a jolly traveler, long-haired and bearded of course, who had likewise stumbled upon Hue, but decided to stay and work. After a few happy hour shots and several very strong mojito’s it was time to go out. First (and last) stop, the ‘Why Not?’ bar, otherwise known in Vietnamese
Inside the Citadel - Military Strength
Tanks, guns and other military paraphenalia adorn a section of the Citdel grounds, just outside the main walled gate. as ‘tại sao không?’ Mike and I dominated the pool table (or at least we thought we did) and to be honest the rest of the night is a bit of a blur. Suffice to say, a good night was had.
The next day we decided it was time for a bit of culture again. Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945, when Emperor Bao Dại abdicated and a communist government was established in Hanoi. In Hue the most prominent sight of interest is therefore the abandoned Citadel, which thankfully is now undergoing some form of restoration after a change in policy (originally the Citadel was neglected as it was considered a relic from the feudal regime). This giant complex was severely damaged, much like the rest of Hue in the Tết Offensive of 1968, most of it from American firepower and bombings on the historical buildings as well as the massacre at Hue committed by the communist forces.
The Citadel houses a large temple and many outbuildings that were used by Emperor Bao Dai and his wives/mistresses – apparently he had over 500 of them and 143 children, a
The Citadel Moat
I can never remember what this stuff is that the Vietnamese harvest from the rivers and stream, but this lady was almost neck deep. well-loved man indeed... It was actually quite eerie walking around the complex due to its condition (and not many tourists) and despite the odd hawker and bizarre displays of birds doing backflips in cages (WTF?) the Citadel was a well worth visit on a hungover afternoon.
That night we obviously had a few beers after all the strenuous walking around and after the usual happy hour and trip to ‘Why Not?’ bar, Mike and I ventured out a bit further to ‘Brown Eyes’, a dingy late bar, that was half empty but provided a good nights entertainment with some crazy dancing from a few wild Japanese guys. Many beers later it was time to retire – amazingly we found are way back through the dark narrow streets for what little sleep we would get before departing for Hoi An in the morning.
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