Hue
Days Five & Six - Vietnam - 2019
After an overnight train ride, a fantastic day spent exploring the historic city of Hue.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
Editorial Comment: Throughout this page, I use Vietnamese characters in the spellings of place names whenever possible; however, some Vietnamese characters are not compatible with some of the fonts used throughout this website, and -in those cases- I have used what I can determine to be the most common English language transliteration.
1. Central Vietnam Life #1
The North-South Line -Vietnam’s main rail line, connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City- runs about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles).
Shortly before midnight, we boarded an overnight train headed from Hanoi to Hue. The conveniently-sized group of fifteen plus the tour guide should have made for four four-person sleeper cabins; however, one of the berths in my cabin was occupied by a man who refused to move because the bed he had originally been assigned had an unlucky number (!) Our tour guide took his “unlucky” bed, and I was joined in my cabin by this random local. Rather than inconvenience him with conversation (although, I think, we were tempted), we went to sleep. I awoke quite early in the morning, and quietly slipped out of the cabin to take some photographs from the large windows of the train car. It began raining as we passed by the former Demilitarized Zone and the Ben Hai River, but cleared up enough as we neared Hue for me to snap a few pictures. These were some of the only views of country life I had on my trip to Vietnam, and the following four photographs highlight this part of the journey.
A quick note about the train journey: I found it pleasant enough, and certainly convenient in terms of schedule. That said, this might not be for everyone, particularly if you travel with valuables such as camera equipment as I do. I viewed it as a necessary evil of sorts, but I was admittedly glad when I disembarked in Hue.
2. Central Vietnam Life #2
3. Central Vietnam Life #3
4. Central Vietnam Life #4
5. Central Vietnam Life #5
6. Thanh Toan Bridge
The wood-timbered, tile-covered Thanh Toan Bridge was built in 1776.
Upon arriving in Hue, we had an afternoon free to explore the town. Everyone else in my tour group opted for the pulled rickshaw trip around the city; however, since I was burning the wick at both ends since I had arrived in country nearly a week earlier, I opted to get a massage at the spa in the hotel. It was definitely the right call, as I felt quite ready for the rest of the journey afterwards. I rejoined the group for dinner, and afterwards a few of us headed out to the nearby Cocosnack Cococlub, which was seemingly the only bar in central Hue that wasn’t blasting K-Pop.
The following morning, we had a scheduled motorbike tour around Hue. Our first stop was the Thang Toan Bridge on the extreme east edge of the city.
7. Hue Water Life #1
Nearby the Thanh Toan Bridge were a fishing boat and net, an idyllic sight curiously contrasted by the heavy construction equipment behind it portending city encroachment.
8. Hue Water Life #2
Despite the encroaching construction, life continues on here, as it always has.
9. Motorbiking
There are over 30 million motorbikes registered in Vietnam, about one for every three people.
Now is a great time to talk about the motorbike tour itself. First things first, this is an absolute essential activity in Hue. Not only is it a hell of a lot of fun, it is essential for packing in all of the difficult-to-reach sites in Hue in a short period of time. Bearing in mind that I am not risk averse, I did not feel for one second that this journey was in any way unsafe. The bikes move in a pack, and rarely cross busy or otherwise unsafe intersections. If you are on the fence about this, don’t be.
10. Hue Flag Tower
Hue’s Flag Tower was constructed in 1807 and is considered the symbol of the city.
The motorbikes made their way completely back across town, placing us outside the Hue Imperial City in the late morning. After a brief history lesson about the Imperial City and its place in Vietnam’s history, we entered, but not before catching a view of the Flag Tower.
11. Imperial City #1
Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945.
I was very impressed with the Imperial City, having heard it was completely and totally destroyed during the U.S.-Vietnam War. You can tell the restoration process being carried out here is very meticulous and very well thought out. We spent about an hour-and-a-half exploring the Imperial City, and the next ten photographs highlight this time. Honestly, I wish I had another hour or so to explore; this is not a knock on the pacing of the tour, it’s just 1) there are so many interesting things to photograph here you can’t possibly get everything in 90 minutes, and 2) I wish I had the opportunity to see the Thong Tu Gate, as its image from 1968 is seared into my memory as a symbol of the Vietnam War.
12. Imperial City #2
Koi can get sunburnt. Seriously.
13. Imperial City #3
The Imperial City was the scene of fighting in 1947 between the French and the Viet Minh; however…
14. Imperial City #4
…the Imperial City is more commonly associated with the damage it sustained during the 1968 Tet Offensive and the concurrent Battle of Hue during the U.S.-Vietnam War…
15. Imperial City #5
…The city of Hue was strategically important to both the South Vietnamese and U.S. troops as it was a good logistical point due to its proximity to the demilitarized zone and the Perfume River...
16. Imperial City #6
..It was not a well-defended city, however, and when the North Vietnamese attacked the city during the holiday of Tet in 1968, it was taken with little resistance…
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17. Imperial City #7
...After South Vietnam recalled its troops from holiday leave, the U.S. and South Vietnam began a counter-offensive against the North Vietnamese…
18. Imperial City #8
…Who were, among other places, deeply entrenched in the Imperial City…
19. Imperial City #9
...Despite initial orders to not attack the Imperial City, tactical necessity resulted in its ultimate near destruction as 150 of its 160 buildings were destroyed…
20. Imperial City #10
...The conflict was enough to turn popular opinion against the war in the United States…
21. Imperial City #11
…Rebuilding of the Imperial City continues to this day.
22. Pagoda of the Celestial Lady #1
The site of the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady (commonly referred to as Thien Mu Pagoda) was selected in 1601 when a Nguyen lord overheard a local prophecy whereby an old lady -referred to as the Celestial Lady- said the construction of a pagoda would portend Vietnam’s fortune…
Next, the motorbikes made their way to the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady on the west side of Hue. Here, we received a brief lecture about the religious tension in South Vietnam during the 1950s and 1960s. To keep it short, the buddhists in South Vietnam were displeased at the favoritism shown to Catholics in matters of public governance. The Pagoda of the Celestial Lady became a central point for the resistance to this effort, and -as such- it is a venerated place amongst Vietnam’s buddhists.
The following five photographs depict the Pagoda and some of its treasures.
23. Pagoda of the Celestial Lady #2
...A simple temple was ordered to be built immediately, and it was expanded over the coming centuries…
24. Pagoda of the Celestial Lady #3
...With its signature construction, the octagonal Phuoc Duyen Tower, being built in 1844.
25. Pagoda of the Celestial Lady #4
The Dai Hung Shrine of the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady features a large brass depiction of Buddha.
26. Pagoda of the Celestial Lady #5
27. Pagoda of the Celestial Lady #6
28. The Perfume River
The Perfume River gets its name from the pleasant scent it gains when leaves from orchards upriver fall into it during autumn.
After departing the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, we walked across the street to a dock and boarded a boat for a brief cruise down the Perfume River to nearer the center of Hue. A pleasant mid-day break, if nothing else….
29. Incense Village #1
Interestingly, incense is known as “Huong” in Northern Vietnam and “Nhang” in Southern Vietnam.
The motorbikes met us at the jetty near the center of town, and we were off again. We stopped briefly at a temple complex for a vegetarian lunch before making our way to a small incense village in the southwest of Hue. While incense puts me into a sneezing fit, I did enjoy snapping lots of photographs of the multi-colored bundles of joss sticks. Another photo from the many follow.
30. Incense Village #2
31. Incense Village #3
A multi-generational home is considered a societal norm in Vietnamese culture.
Across the street from the incense market was a fairly typical Vietnamese home with a motorbike parked in front. A frankly perfect view of Vietnamese middle-class life.
32. Tu Duc Tomb #1
Despite its name, the Tu Duc Tomb is not actually the tomb of Nguyen Emperor Tu Duc...
Back on the motorbikes, we made the extremely short trip to the Tu Duc Tomb, a beautiful complex of ponds and gardens. We spent just under an hour here, giving me plenty of opportunity to work around the crowds of visitors to get some generally appealing shots (despite the looming clouds!)
33. Tu Duc Tomb #2
...Rather, the tomb site became so expansive he began to use it as a palace for he and his over one hundred wives…
34. Tu Duc Tomb #3
...Resulting in an abortive coup centered around the expense of its building…
35. Tu Duc Tomb #4
…Instead, Emperor Tu Duc was buried elsewhere in Hue…
36. Tu Duc Tomb #5
…And, and the story goes, his true burial site remains a mystery as those charged with burying him were immediately beheaded. That’s gratitude for ya.
After one last trip on the motorbikes, we arrived back at our hotel for a free afternoon of relaxation. I opted for another massage (I’m weak!) before joining many members of the tour group at the Cocosnack Cococlub for some drinks. We had a fun night out, but that’s a story for another time…. (Bruce Lee!)
