Hue - the imperial capital

6-8 Feb
Hue
Capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, before the communist era, Hue has lots to offer the camera totting tourist! The Citadel, a walled city on the banks of the Perfume River, was home to 13 emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. Sadly, the American war saw a lot of fighting here and many of the grand old buildings were obliterated by US bombs. There’s a huge UNESCO restoration programme underway amongst the ruins, but the remaining buildings and their grand interiors make for a good half day’s exploration.
What was quite astonishing is that amongst the foundations of the damaged buildings there are areas of intact floor tiling and ornate stonework which are overgrown - visitors can trample all over them. Priceless historical artifacts in any other country; here, they can only do so much and what‘s not work in progress is just left as it is until someone gets round to caring for it.

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Two Wheeled Tour around Hue
Whilst the emperors went about their daily business in the Citadel, they also planned for their after life, designed grand tomb complexes in the countryside surrounding Hue. One of the highlights of my trip was a half day ”motorbike tour” around some of these tombs, and other sites of interest.
On the back of a Honda 125, I was able to take plenty of photos on the move. We started off with a ride through some of the local villages - a great chance to see peasant life close up, workers in the paddy fields, tending their animals and other crops (yes, there are crops other than rice!).
Riding along dirt tracks, partly finished freeways, between the trees to a hilltop vantage point…all stuff you’re not really supposed to do on moped…it was a real adventure.
We arrived at a local temple in time to see the monks and some local Buddhist worshippers chanting their rhythmic daily prayers - I felt a bit intrusive but they don’t seem to care about onlookers.
The tomb of Emperor Tu Duc (1848-83) is a complex of buildings inside a huge walled enclosure. Really impressive, and all pretty much intact, although apparenty he wasn’t actually buried there for fear of grave robbers. The 200 servants who took him to his final resting place were all beheaded so that the secret would never get out!! Many tourists here, but plenty of opportunity to look around and get a feel for the place.

Back to the city, and we visited the Thien Mu pagoda, another splendid example of a working place of worship.
A final circuit of the Citadel for a photo in front of Ho Chi Minh's picture, and we were back to the start - a brilliant way to spend a morning in Hue!

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