The Imperial City of Hue

Hey there...greetings from Hue, Vietnam!  (pronounced 'Hway')

Amy and I arrived in Hue on Sunday, November 28th and are leaving tomorrow, December 1st.  Our time here has been really fun and filled with tourist-y activities, which is so nice.

Here's a brief history lesson before I show you the sights...

Hue used to be home to many of the Emperors of Vietnam ~ from the start of Vietnam in the early 10th century (yes...the 1000s) until 1945, when the emperor abdicated the throne and the communist government located in Hanoi took over.  This is why it is considered the Imperial City of Vietnam.

Vietnam was a colony of France from the 1880s until the 1940s (not considered such a good thing, as the French treated the Vietnamese quite terribly) and Hue has been a battleground, of sorts, throughout Vietnam's long history.  The French overtook Hue on a few occasions, as did the Chinese earlier in its history and then Hue became a battleground during the American War (the Vietnam War, in US parlance).  The DMZ (demilitarized zone) was just north of Hue, but Hue was considered to be in South Vietnam, despite its more central location. 

Hue was at the center of the Tet offensive during the American War and was quite destroyed by bombs being dropped by both the VC and the South Vietnamese/Americans, so as a city, it suffered great losses both of people and of architecture related to its Imperial history.

It lies on the banks of the Perfume River (which actually does not have a bad smell...a surprise, but a welcome surprise) and so has the river snaking through it, as well as several canals.

View of the Perfume River from our hotel balcony

 After the American War concluded, the communist government did not pay any attention to the historical sites of Hue, as they condemned the Imperial history of Vietnam as 'relics from a feudal regime.'  So these sites lay in ruins without attention for quite a number of years.

In the past 10-15 years, restoration has been occurring to these historic sites with some things being rebuilt and others kept in their current state, but at least now they have been identified as historic sites which require protection and upkeep.

In the center of Hue, there is a huge Citadel with the highest flagpole in all of Vietnam.

This Citadel sits on the bank of the Perfume River and holds together the giant wall that wraps around the Imperial City complex, which is amazingly expansive.  Amy and I spent about 4 hours walking through the Imperial complex and here are some of the sites.

The 1st wall ~ or 1st line of defense.  There were several layers of walls we encountered.

Amy right before we were passing through this tunnel through the 1st wall, heading into the Imperial city.

Can Thanh Palace

We named these 2 gentleman 'Mo' and 'Curly'.  They were kindly offering us both rides as it was 'too far' to walk around the Citadel.  They persisted in offering us rides for nearly 20 minutes, following us as we walked, and every time we would say we wanted to walk, they would both put their hands across their foreheads (ala Scarlett O'Hara) and say, "It's too hard, too far.'  In truth, the Citadel and Imperial City was maybe a 1/4 mile from where we are standing in this photo.  Not too far...

Kids playing football (soccer) in the foreground of the Citadel

We weren't sure what these markers represented...maybe grave markers???

Old canons...they have been there a while.

There were about 8 various types of guns, tanks, etc. that were on display.  These were American equipment that was seized by the VC when the US left this area and on the placards in front of each weapon it states, "This gun was deployed by the Americans for use by the puppet army..."  The 'Puppet Army' was the South Vietnamese army in this case.

Reflecting pools...there were several of these.

Traffic coming into the Imperial city.  Hue does not have nearly the traffic we are used to in other locales...it's very tame in comparison.

The entrance building for the Mieu Temple...it looks old, right?

The central Moon arch with yellow doors ~ only the Emperor was allowed to enter through these doors.  On each side of this arch are 2 others where the other folks entered.  This 'walled city' was not open to all of the citizens of Hue...just the Emperor and his court, etc.

Looking out the Moon arch...we are now inside the 2nd wall of the Imperial city.

There were 3 horses inside the 2nd wall, grazing on a large grassy area, but tied up.  We weren't sure why there were horses there?  It is unclear.  They look different that horses I have previously seen ~ shorter and with broader shoulders.

These dogs are at the foot of the palace ~ to ward off evil spirits.

An elephant topiary

The ante-building for the palace

One of 2 urns that were hand-cast and are nearly 800 years old.

Me in front of a golden dragon pointing toward the sky...for protection.

Part of the 2nd wall ~ it needs some repair.

Hands-down our favorite building ~ A Reading Room.  It was lovely, peaceful and so ornate in its appointments.

A secret passageway...to another lake.  The stairs going down were a little sketchy/broken, but were still usable.

These ponds were strewn about the Imperial city ~ all with different purposes, apparently.  These are lotus growing on the water.

Some details on the Reading Room...mosaics.

More mosaic details on the reading room entry, from the backside.

The Reading Room's detailed roof is a bit damaged, so these metal posts are holding it up.  You can see where it has cracked near the upper left side of the photo.

A turtle topiary

Lovely views

A staircase that leads to where the palace once stood.  It is no longer there, but you can see the outline of the walls, walkways, etc.  These stairs are a bit wonky, but still usable.

Another 2 gates...one in the foreground and then again in the background.  I like this photo.

More gates throughout the palace grounds

A very old bell

A orange and turquoise dragonfly.  We immediately noticed upon our arrival in Hue thousands of dragonflies flying about.  We do no know if this is the time of year for them or if this always is the case, but they are everywhere. 

Same dragonfly...different angle.

A residence in honor of the Emperor's parents

One of 9 dynastic urns cast from brass.  They are adorned with pictures/scenes from the sky, sea, land, etc.  These were beautiful!

Another gate...

This property was expansive, but so lovely to stroll through and explore.  Like I said, we spent nearly 4 hours walking throughout the whole complex.  Very interesting and such a great exploration of Hue's Imperial history.

Before going to the Imperial City, we walked through the outdoor market here in Hue and then when were were done walking through the Imperial City area we strolled back toward our hotel and here are some sites along the way...

Crossing the Perfume River.  She was carrying a much heavier load that we were.

KFC, anyone?

The market ~ anything and everything you can imagine ever needing!

Dragon fruit ~ imported from the Mekong Delta, as it cannot be grown here in the Central Highlands.

Chickens...all parts included

Carrots and tomatoes...great colors!

Ginger...they had 4-5 different types.

Onions and shallots

Mushrooms...they were so lovely looking.

Traffic crossing the bridge along with us ~ although we had a walking path along the side. 

Dragon boats ~ a big tourist trap...for about $2 US you get trapped aboard a boat for about 2 hours, have to eat at a horrible buffet and then return.  Don't be fooled.  They are relentless too.

At the market again...we think this is tapioca starch.  I imagine this is used as a thickener, but not sure how else it would be used, but there were about 5-6 ladies selling it, so it must be used a lot.

Bananas...on the vine.  The bananas here are different than in the South.  I like the bananas in the South much better. 

Zucchini, I think?

Baby walkers, anyone?  These are always plentiful here...much to my chagrin!

We passed a construction site and this is how they were holding up newly poured flooring.  Fascinating...

We dined last night at a yummy French/Vietnamese restaurant and aside from the little midgies that kept nipping at our ankles, our food was delicious. 

xoxo
Stacy