The Ancient City of Hue

The Imperial City of Hue was the capital of Vietnam during the reign of the Nguyen dynasty, the last dynasty in Vietnam. Even today, the Vietnamese regard Hue as their Imperial city. It also has the distinction of being one of the rainiest cities in Vietnam-- more than 120 inches a year.

The city is dominated by The Citadel, a moated, walled fort, constructed during the early 19th century. Within these walls lies the forbidden Purple City, former home of the royal family. The Citadel was also the scene of brutal fighting during the 1968 Tet Offensive, when the North Vietnamese held the fort for 26 days before being driven out by American forces. The damage inflicted is still being repaired and the Citadel may never be fully restored.

Outside of the city are the royal tombs of the Nguyen emperors.

In the Thien Mu Pagoda, we discovered the car in which Thich Quang Duc traveled to his self-immolation on June 11, 1964. (He was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon intersection while protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese Diem administration.

Famous Quotes from our guide Que :
“70% of the tourists are French...unfortunately...”
“Americans- the only people who speak only one language....”
“The French-- they travel in groups and argue over who got the biggest fish in restaurants”.
“Vietnamese- everything full of symbolism--Americans- no symbolism”

We saw our first traffic accident-- a car/bicycle collision....not a pretty site.
At lunch, I saved some duck for the stray dog wandering around the restaurant. The dog decided to be a selective eater and turned up his nose-- in front of all the Vietnamese diners. They were appalled!