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Published: April 23rd 2017
I was woken at 5:50 this morning by exhortations emanating from the Party Committee building not far away. (These buildings are quite distinct – austere, yellow and white, fronted by a wide red banner.) Later Thuy explained that this loudspeaker service combines news stories for the illiterate and public announcements. (The literacy rate is high in Vietnam.)
At breakfast a few of us got talking with a woman who was a professor for an international school teaching a course on environment to 31 students. The course consists of time studying in San Francisco (already done), this month in Vietnam, next month in Morocco and another month in Bolivia. She was startled to learn from us that Hoi An, their destination today, has even more tourists than Hue, not that we had seen much of Hue yet.
Our group started with a long walk in
The Citadel, the Imperial City and the Forbidden City of the last emperor of Vietnam. He was virtually a puppet of the French Colonial officials. A defensive moat and two thick walls surround the grounds.
Bao Dai was not well respected by the Vietnamese. Although he peacefully handed over power to the Communist government, in the
Imperial Theatre
Explosion of colour!person of
Ho Chi Minh, he never reconciled with a lesser lifestyle and eventually moved to France with his concubine, where he gambled away all he had. The
Empress Nam Phuong on the other hand took refuge in a Canadian Catholic church in Hue and helped people for the rest of her life.
The buildings were badly damaged during the civil wars and by floods caused by typhoons, as evidenced in photos displayed. The complex is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a great deal of work has been done to return the buildings and grounds to their original condition. Some unrestored buildings served as reminders of the destruction that time wreaks. To me the most beautiful building was the emperor’s library and reading room. There were no books there now, but the layout was serene, and a large desk was in place for study. Nearby was a spectacular theatre (the first in Hue), doused in red and highlighted in gold. The stage was only one step up from the audience, although it had proscenium arches.
A large building was devoted to the worship of the emperor and his ancestors and some relatives; the government allowed this to be set up as
Memorial to the Ancestors
Colourful court for worshipping an active Buddhist shrine a few years ago. We could see a series of about ten tables, each displaying a photo or ink drawing and all the objects memorializing each person. Further back, beyond the reach of natural light and barred from entry were the historic private areas of worship for the royal family and even further back the emperor. The empress and her court had a set of buildings for themselves; these have not been restored inside. Lovely gardens linked the buildings, lush and green in this winter month. At the entrance to the complex and in one other garden were great plantings of colourful flowers. We were visting the sites at a good time because all the decorations for New Year are still on display.
Lunch was welcome – at
Les Jardins de la Carambole, the best French restaurant in town. The yellow and white building was proudly designed locally (there is a plaque on the wall) in what seems to be a fusion of Vietnamese and French styles. The menu was a combination of Vietnamese and French dishes: squid salad eaten on large shrimp crackers, cream of vegetable soup, spiced beef steamed in a banana leaf, steamed rice, and sorbet.
Luu Khiem Lake
Imperial Tombs park The service was impeccable, as it has been in almost every restaurant. Our dinner will be at the same restaurant tonight, and we were asked to select items now to ease service this evening.
Our afternoon visit was to the tombs of historic emperors. The first was approached through a beautiful garden, harmonious with trees, water and stone pathways. In one of the pavilions, five women in deep pink dresses were singing and playing imperial Hue music, recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage.
Emperor Tu Duc, father of the last emperor, was often ill and could not have natural children – he adopted a son. He spent a lot of time at this tomb site, contemplating and writing poetry. Unfortunately, later a French adventurer offended the Vietnamese by excavating his tomb and probably stealing all the gold and jade enclosed. To arrive at the tomb we had to climb up high stone staircases. A stele with the emperor’s words was protected from weather in a high arched tower. The tomb itself was surrounded by honorific walls (not meant for defence). All the buildings favoured thick yellow brick walls (stained black by rain and mould) in a blockish
architecture. What carvings there were on the buildings were shallow and minimalistic.
During our short drive to the next tomb, Thuy stopped the bus to let us observe incense sticks and bamboo conical hats being made – or at least demonstrations showing how they were made. For the incense sticks a woman simply rolled a split of bamboo into a soft lump of incense that was on her working board until the stick was coated. The conical hat we saw was already formed and was being reinforced by a woman sewing crosspieces. She immediately stopped working when our attention was elsewhere, giving me the impression that she was unhappy with her job.
Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Vietnamese castanets and spinning
I couldn't believe the dexterity of those singers/musicians with what looked very like two handleless tea cups - were they really not attached to each other? And the woman rolling incense onto the sticks was amazing - the only thing I've seen like it is people making yarn out of a bunch of wool.