The Many Sides of Hue

After recovering a sense of calm in Ha Long Bay, we flew to the city of Hue on the central coast. Hue served as the country’s imperial capital for over 100 years, beginning in 1802 with the establishment of the Nguyen dynasty as rulers of a unified Vietnam. It remained the capital until 1945, when the Communists took control, forced the last Nguyen emperor to abdicate, and moved the Vietnamese capital to Hanoi. However, Hue is still regarded as the cultural, religious and educational center of Vietnam. Unfortunately, due to its location just south of the DMZ, the city was heavily damaged during the Tet offensive in 1968. Restoration work is ongoing.

On our first full day in Hue, we spent a few hours exploring its famed Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the banks of the Huong (Perfume) River. 

Construction of the citadel began in 1804 and lasted until 1832. The walled citadel, which is surrounded by a moat, is an enormous complex (covering an area 2.6 miles by 2.6 miles). Within it are numerous monuments, royal tombs, pagodas, temples, and the Harmony Palace where the emperor presided over court ceremonies. 

The palace roof is made of ironwood logs covered with gold leaf.

Near the entrance to the complex, An pointed out a display of massive iron cannons used during the French War. 

Inside the citadel, we took a leisurely stroll through the Forbidden Purple City, once the living quarters of the emperor and his family, where black and white photographs of the royal family still adorn the walls. 

  

Finally, we exited the Imperial Enclosure through a lavishly decorated ornamental gate, once reserved for exclusive use by the royal family.

An hour-long boat trip on the Perfume River gave us a different view of Hue. Our dragon boat motored under several bridges, including one designed by French engineer Gustave Eiffel. 

When we stepped shore at the Thien Mu (Celestial Lady) Pagoda complex, I got an unexpected lesson in bargaining skills. A woman selling cheap folding hats targeted our group as soon as we disembarked. She zeroed in on me although I was already wearing my utilitarian cloth sunhat. Perhaps she decided I was in desperate need of more fashionable headgear. In any case, I steadfastly ignored her but she kept following me, lowering the price again and again until I finally broke down and handed over a ridiculously small quantity of Vietnamese currency for a hat that turned out to be quite useful for the remainder of the trip. 

The Thien Mu complex is set on a hill overlooking the Perfume River. Its octagonal 7-story tower, which dates back to 1844, is considered the unofficial symbol of Hue. 

The pagoda, located in an inner courtyard facing a bonsai garden, was built in the early 1600s. 

The complex also contains a massive ceremonial bell, a marble turtle (a symbol of longevity), and a stupa where the remains of the Buddhist monk who built the pagoda are interred. Fragrant plumeria (frangipani) trees dot the grounds.  

While walking around the complex, we noticed a large number of monks. An explained that the pagoda offers refuge to any man who desires to stay there. Nowadays, Thien Mu is a peaceful place, popular with tourists, but during the 1960s, it was the site of frequent protests against the South Vietnamese government. The South Vietnamese president, Diem, was a Roman Catholic who used violent methods in an attempt to suppress the practice of Buddhism, the predominant religion in the country. 

Today, Hue is a city of 350,000 and its downtown area is full of tall, gleaming modern buildings. It has a large population of students who attend its highly regarded university. Their presence contributes to the city’s youthful vibe. Our hotel was located within walking distance of a pedestrian area that became extremely lively at night, when hundreds of young people packed the brightly lit restaurants, bars, and bubble tea shops, spilling out onto the sidewalks and streets. 

The pedestrian zone at night

Hue is also known for its fine cuisine. At the hotel’s breakfast buffet, I slurped down some intriguing new items. Two of my favorites were banh beo Hue(steamed rice flour “muffins” topped with dried shrimp flakes) and banh loc(clear-looking, chewy tapioca dumplings filled with shrimp and pork and topped with fried shallots). I bypassed the array of crudités, salad greens, olives, cold cuts, cheeses, grilled vegetables and Danish pastries in favor of quail eggs, congee (rice porridge), fried rice, and tropical fruits. By this time, I’d developed quite a passion for passion fruit.  

Breakfast specialties of Hue

Dinners provided an opportunity to sample several additional specialties of Hue, including bun bo Hue(Hue-style beef noodle soup that differs markedly from pho) and banh khoai(crispy fried rice flour pancakes folded over a savory filling of bean sprouts, shrimp, pork and egg). 

Savory Hue pancakes

The most interesting meal I ate, however, was the lunch that was prepared by Buddhist nuns in the rustic kitchen of the Dieu Thanh pagoda. We had to observe complete silence during the meal. An even instructed us ahead of time to lift our chairs rather than dragging them noisily across the floor when we sat down at the table. Although the food was completely vegetarian and free of garlic (garlic is an aphrodisiac!), it was surprisingly varied and absolutely delicious. In fact, it was hard for me to suppress audible mmmmms as I tasted each new dish.

Lunch at the Buddhist nunnery

Afterwards, one of the younger nuns spoke with us (in excellent English) about her daily life and how she arrived at the decision to enter the nunnery. She told us that becoming a nun or monk was not necessarily a lifelong commitment, and that she could leave at any time. However, she appreciates the tranquility that the nunnery offers and has no intention of leaving anytime soon. 

The young nun who spoke with us 

On our last afternoon in Hue, our group stopped by the Minh Tu Orphanage, which has received support from the Grand Circle Foundation for several years. (OAT’s parent company is Grand Circle Travel. Included in the cost of every OAT trip is a contribution to the Grand Circle Foundation.) Minh Tu Orphanage is home to over 200 children and young adults. We toured the facilities and interacted with staff and children, many of whom were left at the orphanage’s doorstep as infants. Here, they receive loving care and access to educational opportunities in a safe and secure environment. 

Looking back, I see that we certainly packed a lot of different activities into our two days in Hue.