We spent a week in Hue, a city of over a million people in the centre of Vietnam. It was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors & the national capital from 1802-1945. A major attraction is its vast 19th century Citadel, surrounded by a moat & thick stone walls which encompasses the Imperial City & the Forbidden Purple City where the emperor lived.
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| The Citadel |
Our hotel included a choice of breakfast options (noodles with beef or shrimp or eggs & baguette) plus coffee or a smoothie which was a great start to the day, after which we walked from our hotel which was a bit removed from the hustle & bustle (fine with us, no dogs or horns) into the main “tourist” part of town. The Perfume River (Huong River is the proper name - so called because flowers from orchards drop into the river creating a perfume-like aroma) runs through the city & has well kept paved paths along both sides of the river for walking or cycling. A great way to see more of the city & the dragon boats that take tourists up & down the river.
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| One of our breakfasts |
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| Walkways along the river |
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| Dragon boats |
We had to try one of the signature dishes of Hue - Bun Bo Hue, a beef noodle soup, good but not my favorite. We found a local market for fresh fruit, always dragon fruit & whatever else looks good & a mini mart for coffee for the room. We are now hooked on these coffee packets that are 3 in 1, coffee, cream & sugar & so tasty!
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| Mini marts everywhere |
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| Bun Bo Hue |
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| Bridge over the river, lit up every night |
A bit of rain, used our 2 umbrellas, but warm enough. Crazy to see all the scooters with their specialized rain ponchos with the clear section for the lights of the scooter. Nothing seems to stop for a bit of rain.
We saw a well reviewed restaurant on a YouTube video & walked to check it out. Thi’s Kitchen - serving local dishes of Hue - we had 4 plates of food along with 4 local Huda beer for $21, an expensive meal for us this trip. But very tasty!
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| Bahn Hue, steamed rice cakes |
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| Nem Liu, charcoal grilled minced pork rolls wrapped around lemon grass stalks, you wrap one up in rice paper along with lettuce, fresh herbs & veggies, then dip in peanut sauce! |
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| Bahn Khoai, a crunchy fried crepe filled with shrimp & bean sprouts that is also wrapped in rice paper to eat |
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| Huda beer, a local brew |
One of the best ways to see an area is often a full day city tour - which we don’t really like as you are always being rushed - but we did do one in Hue. We started off at The Citadel & The Imperial City - the living & working quarters of 13 Nguyen Dynasty Emperors. Massive grounds, some stunning architecture & ornate decorations & many beautiful bonsai trees.
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| More folks in costume having photos done |
Next stop was a ride down the river in a dragon boat to the Thien Mu Pagoda, the most sacred ancient temple in central Vietnam. In front of the temple is a seven story pagoda, built in 1601.
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| Amazing bonsai trees in massive planters |
Next stop was a Mandarin house & gardens (Mandarins were a class of bureaucrats & scholars who held the power in the government.)
Of course a delicious lunch of Hue specialities was included.
We continued on in the big bus, luckily only 25 of us, we’ve seen bigger groups, to the tomb of Khai Dinh, one of the Emperors. Quite striking in mainly black & white, with the inside very colorful. Today turned out to be a bit of a “fitness tour”, lots of stairs to these tombs!
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| The actual tomb is below the gold throne |
Next stop Ming Mang’s tomb, who ruled from 1820-1841, built in a style similar to the Citadel, surrounded by lakes & gardens.
The day was rounded out with a photo stop at an overlook of the Perfume River in a pine forest & a stop to see how incense sticks & Vietnamese straw hats are made.
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| The dyed sticks that the incense is rolled on to - arranged for photo stops! |
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| Traditional hats, worn by many locals |
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| Incense sticks drying |
Our hotel included free use of single speed bicycles & we made good use of them. We pedalled around near the hotel, then across bridges & through the tourist areas, & up & down the river pathways.
We found a large local market where we bought a large dragon fruit, 2 oranges & an apple all for 40,000 dong, $2.25.
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| Of course you have to take beer breaks! |
We cycled inside the walls of the Citadel, but outside the inner walls of the Imperial City, taking our time & enjoying the ride. And later realizing that we are no longer young & we might have over done it!
We spent the rest of days in Hue eating great food, lots of walking, organizing upcoming accommodations & transport. We are working 2-3 weeks ahead, not much further except for the upcoming Tet holiday (New Year’s). Not being rushed in our travels is wonderful, we can stay longer if we want or if we need to. Robin has actually been carrying a cell phone - not something that he does at home. My old phone with a Vietnamese SIM card, $24/30 days, 5 GB/day.
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| There is no end to the variety of scooters! |
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| This is how people buy rice noodles, all sizes, in big bags |
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| A garbage can made from an old tire |
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| Virtually everyone rides scooters, from babies up - so toy ones make sense! |
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| Spirit houses/shrines outside many houses & businesses |
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Having to take off shoes to enter homes is mandatory but also required to enter some shops. |
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| Hue train station |
On January 9 we took a Grab taxi to the train station for our 3 hour ride to our next destination, Da Nang.
Still Living the Dream!
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