Hue, Vietnam

From Ninh Binh we headed to a costal city in the center of Vietnam called Hue. We took a "sleeper bus" to get there, which is essentially a double-decker bus converted into three rows of tiny "bunk beds." When we boarded the bus at 10 pm, there wasn't a single bed open, and seeing this, the driver shooed a couple of locals from their beds (who then slept in the aisle) so we could sleep where they were. As weird as all of that sounds, the reality is that the bus company sells more tickets than they have beds, and foreigners pay four times as much for a ticket; it's only fair that we're not the ones sleeping in the aisles...

Hue is beautiful! It's a city that is just big enough that there is plenty to do, but small enough (350,000 people) that it doesn't feel overwhelming or unsafe like Hanoi could. It was the imperial capital of Vietnam up until 1945 when the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty passed, so the culture is rich, and there are tons of monuments and tombs to see. Hue also saw some of the most intense fighting during the Vietnamese-American War, as it's located smack dab in the middle of North and South Vietnam. Some of the most impressive monuments (like the Imperial City; see below) were almost completely destroyed. However, Hue is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, so renovation of those areas is extensive, with the goal of restoring their grandeur.

Our first day here--having gained a bit of confidence from our motorbiking in Ninh Binh--we decided to do round two in Hue. We motored around the city for a bit to get our bearings, then headed to the coast. After the sleeper bus, neither of us were up for a full day of sightseeing just yet, and with the beach only 20 minutes from town, we were easily sold on the idea. The beach was beautiful, and there were some decent body-surfing waves that Preston took full advantage of.

Through our hostel (Hue Backpacker's Hostel; great place) we booked a city tour for our second day. The main attractions are the Thien Mu Pagoda (the largest in Hue), the Forbidden Purple City (aka the Imperial City), and the tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors, of which we saw the Tu Duc and Minh Mang. Hue is bisected by the Perfume River (which apparently at one point smelled of the wildflowers that grew on its banks... not the case when we were there), so we got to take a "dragon boat" ride down the river to see the Thien Mu Pagoda. Overall the tour was great, although Hue wasn't very forgiving climate-wise; for the past three days it was a cool 97 degrees... Ugh. At this point, though, we're used to it, although we can't help but wish it was Songkran everywhere, all the time...

Pres and the tomb of emperor Tu Duc.

The grounds of the Tu Duc tomb were beautiful. Apparently, this is not only where the emperor was buried, but it also served as his "country home".

The tomb of emperor Minh Mang. We were both surprised at how Chinese the architecture was throughout the city, but as our guide explained, Vietnam was under Chinese rule for a good part of it's early history, and these influences survive today. 

Jessica made a friend at the Minh Mang tomb.

More of Minh Mang.

Minh Mang again.

These are the "dragon boats" we took down the river to the Thien Mu Pagoda.

Thien Mu Pagoda. A very peaceful place to end to our tour day.

Entrance to the Forbidden Purple City. Fun fact: The central and largest gate you see here is reserved for the sole use of the emperor. No one else can walk through it.

Inside the Purple City.

One of the Purple City buildings that has been completely renovated and restored. We can only imagine what the rest of the place will look like when it's all done!

We loved Hue, but our Visas are running short (we may have to get them extended soon), so we headed to Hoi An today; the famed city of silk and custom tailoring. More on Hoi An soon!