Whirlwind trip through Hue

The night train was perfectly comfortable but we still got a terrible night's sleep and were glad to get to Hue.

Even though we haven't been in Vietnam long, it's been long enough that when we were told that Hue was both UNESCO world heritage listed and a former capital of Vietnma we responded, "what isn't?"
But quietly so our guide wouldn't hear.

Hue is the original centre of the Nguyen empire. But between the destructive rainfall (the highest in Vietnam), the fire that swept through here in 1945, and the fact that the US, quite frankly, bombed the crap out of it, there's not much left of original Hue.

These days, the attractions seems to be the delightfully poetically-named Perfume River, the odd 18th century monument to the old imperial regime, and tourists. Lots of them.

The history of Hue is complex and confused and my understanding is frustrated by Vietnam's ability to doublethink their history. Much is made of French control of the country and we're all aware of the US's atrocities but the 1000-year rule of China is briefly acknowledged and then studiously ignored.

The fact is China ruled Vietnam for a thousand years. It influenced the language, culture, religion, food, architecture, government, social structure and ontology. And its legacy is everywhere in Hue. Just don't mention it to anybody. They get annoyed. This is the only place in the world where people can discuss high ranking public servants called Mandarins and then deny they had anything to do with the Chinese.

Don't get me wrong - I'm an Australian. And there are few nations on Earth more dishonest about its past than Australians (Stolen Generations anybody). Our entire legal system is based on the fact that we discovered and colonished an empty and uninhabited land - even though it was covered with a complex patchwork of nations each with their own identity, language and customs. The selective editing of history is not unique in this world. But it's still annoying.

We kicked off our day with a city tour and our first stop was Dai Noi, the imperial palace complex of Hue inside the impressive citadel. It contains (among many other things) the Emperor's residence inside the Imperial Enclosure, the ruins of a temple complex, and the Forbidden Purple City where only the emperor's wives, concubines and eunuchs were allowed.

 Photo: Our little group at the Citadel in Hue

 After the Citadel, we motored off to Thien Mu Pagoda and then cruised along the Perfume River.

 Photo: Hue from the Perfume River

 Time for lunch, we had an amazing vegetarian meal with the monks. These monks feed tourists like us to fund accommodation for young Vietnamese people who come into the city to study. The food was delicious, the cause just and so we gave them a big tip.

After lunch, we set off to Tu Duc, a tomb complex that contains among others the famous Minh Mang tomb. The beautifully verdant surroundings are designed like an embryo in a womb and contain the remains of several of the late Nguyen emperors including Minh Mang.

Photo: Tu Duc tomb in the Tu Duc tomb complex, Hue

While I had a great day, some of the others were a bit frustrated by the dearth of details given to us by the guide. We've had this problem with Vietnamese guides and it can get frustrating. I, however, brought a guidebook with me. This was a good thing.