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Published: December 15th 2010
Hue - Day 2
This morning we visited the Imperial Citadel and Palace (Kinh Thanh) on the northern bank of the Perfume River. Emperor Gia Long began construction of the Citadel in 1804. Within the Imperial enclosure is the Forbidden Purple City which was reserved for the private life of the emperor. In those days only eunuchs were allowed to work in this area as they posed no threat to the royal concubines. In addition to the queen, the emperors had several hundred concubines to choose from. The concubines rarely left the Forbidden Purple City. The Imperial Citadel was heavily bombed during the war as the Vietcong entrenched themselves here. Reconstruction is progressing slowly due to lack of money.
Ho Chi Minh ended the monarch in 1945 and moved the capitol to Hanoi.
We were treated to a production by the Royal Opera Troupe before returning to our hotel. Traditional clothing, music and dance made for a nice show.
This evening we had a cyclo city tour with a royal style dinner at the home of a wealthy business woman. My cyclo-driver, Tan, led the parade of 29 bicycle carts through rush hour traffic in Hue. Hair
Just inside the main gate
Boy it was raining! And hot!raising! I’m glad we made it without incident. Arriving at this amazing, large home, we all dressed in traditional royal clothing. Mel was the emperor and Joan, the queen. I decided I was the most favored concubine as I got to sit next to the emperor for dinner. What a feast of beautifully presented dishes: Spring rolls in the form of peacocks and dragons, and rice dishes in the shape of turtles and chickens. Very festive
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