Hue

With 13 days left in Vietnam, I bought a one way ticket to Hue (pronounce: “h-way”.) Hue and Hoi An seem to be everyone’s favorite cities in Vietnam so I’ve saved them for the end. 

 

When I called the grab bike to the airport, it was another case of timing in Saigon. About halfway there, the sky opened up in a soaking monsoonal rain. I and my stuff were drenched, and there is nothing like sitting at the gate at the airport in soaking wet jeans.

 

All of the flights before and after mine were delayed, but mine remained optimistically on time. We boarded on time. I’ve admittedly become a bit of a jerk boarding planes in Asia. Queuing isn’t really a thing in Vietnam. It’s not as chaotic as China; some semblance of a line exists, people just have no problem jumping in wherever suits them. That said, I was very patient. I waited at the back of the “line” as people pushed on in front of me. I stayed very cool all the way on the plane, and stowed my backpack very calmly. I was dumbfounded to see the people in the row ahead of me had already reclined as I shuffled into 14F (Seriously, who reclines during boarding? They make you put you put your seat up for take off anyway!) But, I stayed calm and didn’t let Vietnam get to me this time. 

 

Surprisingly again, we did take off on time.  It was about 90 minutes to Hue, and I read on the way. When we landed, I had a text from Matt that he was getting settled in Taiwan. I attempted to call a grab bike, and while they have Grab in Hue, there were not any bikes in the area. I haggled with a few taxi drivers, eventually settling on a price for the 35 minute ride into town.

 

I booked a homestay for Hue. Viet, the owner, is very nice. He and his wife have two toddler sons. He’s lived in Hue for 14 years. It’s not the most inclusive homestay I’ve booked, but they’ve had good tips on food and getting around town.

 

The people staying in the dorm with me are some of the most social people I’ve met in a dorm. Both nights I’ve been there more than half of the people haven’t come back from partying until well into the afternoon the next day. 

 

My first night here I went to a restaurant across the street to try some local Hue foods. They were all fantastic. There were pork spring rolls, vegetarian spring rolls, and a pork soup that I really like. The central Vietnam version of a generic pale lager is called Huda and is actually pretty good. 

 

I had an early night back at the hostel, texting a friend in Prague and another in Japan (time zones makes this international networking fun.)

 

The next day, I slept in. I had such a hard time sleeping in Thailand, but I’ve definitely made up for it since being back in Vietnam. Viet’s wife made breakfast and then I walked over to see the citadel.

 

The walk was great! There was a little harassment from random motorbike riders offering either a ride or marijuana, but once I put my ear buds in, no one bothered me.

 

Hue was the historic capital of Vietnam prior to the French occupation. The Ngyuen dynasty was the last Vietnamese ruling family, and ruled from the imperial city here in central Vietnam for over 100 years. When two catholic missionaries were killed in Vietnam, the French invaded and colonized the peninsula of Indochina (modern day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.) The French moved the administrative capital for the colony to Saigon, due to its more favorable location for shipping routes. They allowed Hue to continue as the symbolic capital and the last emperor ruled with no actual authority but symbolic power only. 

 

When the French were driven out of Vietnam and the country was divided, the communist party placed their capital in Hanoi, while the republic maintained the capital in Saigon. In the war with America in the following decades, Hue was near the demilitarized zone between north and south, but much of the city was still bombed.

 

The “citadel” is the old Ngyuen dynasty palace. A walled city, the palace was surrounded by numerous fortifications and moats. Common people lived within the walls of Hue as well. In the inner walls were housing for the emperor’s staff (known as “mandarins,”) the empress, the concubines, etc. In the most inner walls are the various halls and temples where state meetings and religious affairs where held.

 

The citadel is beautiful. Perhaps the prettiest architecture I’ve seen in Vietnam. I think one of the things I’ve missed in Vietnam is history. With the exception of the war with America, there isn’t a lot of Vietnamese history evident or accessible to tourists. But here in Hue, it truly felt like stepping back in time. 

 

Some of the views are quite iconic. There are long open air corridors with giant red columns supporting the tiled roofs. Ornate lanterns of blue glass decorate overhead, not used anymore but equally as beautiful.

 

Part of the citadel is still under restoration from being bombed in the war. The ruined sections are over grown with vegetation. There’s something amazing about the rubble too. It’s like a proud monument to the fact that no matter what conflict we have to endure, part of the beauty remains.

 

When I left the Citadel, I caught a grab bike to the Thien Mu temple. This seven story pagoda was built in 1844 on the site of a temple dating back to the 1600s. In the 1960’s the pro-catholic government in the south persecuted Buddhists in Vietnam. After nine unarmed Buddhist monks were shot in Hue, this temple became the meeting point for the Buddhist resistance. When the government refused protections for Buddhists, one monk from the temple drove himself to Saigon and set himself on fire in protest. Today, the Thien Mu Temple is still a functioning house of worship, and also a memorial to the Buddhist Crisis of 1963.

 

The temple is beautiful. The pagoda is striking and the back courtyard gardens are truly tranquil.

 

Unfortunately, a fear I’ve always had about using Grab came true today. While I was able to get a Grab for the 3 mile ride out of the city, once he dropped me off at the pagoda, I was outside the pick up area for Grab. 

 

So I had a lovely hike back to Hue. Ironically, after turning down countless offers for a ride all morning, not a single person stopped to offer me a ride on this road. 

 

It was a beautiful walk along the perfume river. Equally unfortunate however, it was mid afternoon and time for the monsoonal rain to roll in.

 

And roll in it did. 

 

I hid under the awning at a little road side convenience store. The guy brought over a folding chair for me and I waited out the rain. 

 

I’ve hated the rain in Vietnam. It makes me think of the Forrest Gump quote about Vietnam when he says, “One day it started raining, and it didn’t quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain, and big ol’ fat rain, rain that flew in sideways, and sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night.”

 

I’ve hated the rain. But today I didn’t hate it. It’s just part of Vietnam. It wouldn’t be Vietnam without the rain.

 

My phone was dying but I decided to give Grab another try. Surprisingly, I got a Grab. It was one of the wettest and craziest Grab rides I’ve had, but I made it back to the hostel and tipped the driver handsomely for coming to get me. 

 

I went and got a late lunch (other people there were probably eating dinner.) I enjoyed another bowl of the pork soup and vegetarian spring rolls. I certainly have not gone vegetarian in Southeast Asia, but I eat significantly less meat. And I’ve discovered so many amazing vegetarian foods. I think it’s probably a good diet change. 

 

Back at the hostel, I blogged a little and chatted with the people in my room (who were getting reward for another big night out.) I chilled until it was dinner time, and FaceTimed my mom after I ate. 

 

I was only going to do one day in Hue but I decided to do two. I really like the history and hope to see more.