Hue - The Centre of Vietnam
Trip Start
Aug 12, 2010
1
106
135
Trip End
Sep 23, 2011
Where I stayed
Hue, Vietnam
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
so from Hoi An we got an early morning bus to Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. Hue is yet another World Heritage Site and is one of Vietnam's cultural, religious and education centres. Although no way as cute and compact as Hoi An, Hue's decaying tombs and the grand crumbling Citadel make it a worthy stop. Being in the centre of Vietnam, the city is baking hot and whilst here temperature's hit the mid 40's.
Hue is well known for its historic monuments, and the location of the Nguyen emperors. The Citadel, which occupies a large, walled area on the north side of the Perfume River is where the emperors lived, and acts as a city within a city. Inside the Citadel was a forbidden city where only the emperors, concubines, and those close enough to them were granted access; the punishment for trespassing was death. Today, little of the forbidden city remains after the Vietnam War, though reconstruction efforts are in progress to maintain it as a historic tourist attraction. As we walked around and inside the Imperial City large chunks of wall and buildings still show evidence of heavy shelling and bombing.
Fortunately, the food in Hue was really good, especially at a little place called Nina's Cafe which was simply amazing. We chose "Nina's Special" which consisted of grilled beef, onions, a type of Korean spicy fruit, bean sprouts, a salad, and a special sauce. It was then our job to wrap it all up in rice paper and make-your-own spring rolls, which was also served with a special rice. The food was cheap, tasty, and the atmosphere nice and quiet, plus the owner Nina is very nice and loved to chat (hence the photo's).
From Hue we took an overnight bus to Hanoi before booking our boat tour in Halong Bay. Who know's, we might just bump into Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond with their motorised boats.
Love Thomas and Hollie x x x
