An entry in the TFS Travel Journal
Ugh, the worst, over-stuffed pillows ever, but we improvised with bath towels. Breakfast was nothing to type home about, and we set off with Thong after a ridiculous attempt at storing the computer in the hotel’s safe and having one of the women attempt to “securitize” it by wrapping clear shipping tape around and around the case. We boarded our tourist boat (decorated and painted with dragon motifs) for our cruise up the Perfume river. We motored along in some really unpleasant humidity before stopping at the Thien Mu Pagoda, along the riverbank. It is a beautiful 7-story tower, with smaller enclosures surrounding it, one containing a huge iron bell, one a marble tortoise with a marble placque atop it, and a few others. Behind the pagoda is a serene monastery where 25 or so monks now live. There is also a small garage housing the 1950-something blue Austin in which a monk was driven to Saigon in 1963 where he self-immolated in protest against the government’s repression of Buddhism. As the act gained international attention, the car is still on display and revered.
We then continued up the river, most of the time with a welcome breeze, seeing dozens of long, flat boats going by carrying big mounds of dredged sand to be used for construction, and some collecting seaweed to feed their animals. The river’s pretty unclean, as many people in houseboats live along it, and they, as Thong says, “do everything in it”. After about an hour of staring at the pretty, green hillsides along the riverbank, we arrived at the Ming Minh (2nd Emperor) tombs. As Hue was the capital of Vietnam for the whole of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), there are many tombs here of the Emperors. This one was notable mostly for the beauty of its gardens and its riverside setting. Next, we crossed the river and got back into the car. We drove to the Khai Dinh (12th Emperor) tomb, which is set high on a hillside. By that time the French influence had become more pronounced, and this tomb is of the same layout as the others, but the big stone buildings are very European in style. Again, impressive grounds and structures, but the mausoleum building interior is most amazing for its use of what must be millions of pieces of colorful, broken ceramic tile to richly decorate the walls and ceilings.
It was by then lunch time, so we went to a neighborhood place in town. Another outstanding several course meal, with the standouts being the big grilled flying fish which we ate with bean sprouts and scallions wrapped in rice paper pancakes, and the chicken w/vegetables. The Huda beer (named for the joint venture HUe-DAnish) was also quite good. Our afternoon was spent mostly at The Citadel, the city within the city.
The Citadel was constructed throughout the early 1800s, covered several hundred acres, and contained numerous residences, temples, ponds, auditoriums, and other buildings. Despite having an impressive thick stone wall around the perimeter, there are now, sadly, very few buildings left standing after the many attacks by the French, the VC, and the Americans. The ones that are, though, are fabulous creations, showing the local artistry in their roof tiles, walls, painted and lacquered support columns, and basic building design. We also couldn’t help but to notice how the preponderance of tourists seem to be French; Thong says they still have love for all their former colonies. (despite all the destruction they wrought on them . . .)
Next up was the Tu Duc (4th Emperor) tombs. Actually it is a whole complex, where that emperor lived for a while before being buried there. Quite a peaceful place, with large ponds and many small temples, and the ever-present frangipani trees and lily pads. This guy was a real gourmand who reportedly had 50 course meals and tea made with the dew drops collected from lotus flowers. One memorable thing from here was the 4-ton marble panel on which he wrote his farewell thoughts. The panel contains over 5,000 Chinese characters (Vietnam used the Chinese alphabet until the late 1800s when a French missionary had created the present day language of Roman letters with various accents and other tonal markings) and took years to complete, as it tells of all that he did (having his brother killed, etc.) and why he did it (for the good of the country). In fact, as we toured the various tombs, we were told stories of all the goings-on in the dynasty — how many wives and concubines each emperor had (hundreds, for some), how some successors were killed by high ranking advisors who could then install their choice, etc.
We then headed home, with a brief stop at the bustling outdoor market for bottled water and some local oranges. En route, we passed a school, and saw some little monk-kids (in robes, with shaved heads) playing soccer. Then back through the onslaught of cyclists to the hotel for the evening.