We woke up to blue skies and sunshine. After breakfasting with lovely views , we headed off past the street market towards the vast Imperial Citadel. Markets open earlier here as the weather is much hotter down south.
The Imperial City has UNESCO World Heritage status and is notable for its historical and cultural significance and tranquil architecture.
History –
Nguyen Dynasty:
It was the capital of this powerful dynasty (Vietnam’s ruling emperors from the early 1800s to 1945) so gives us insight into Vietnamese imperial history. One emperor had 500 concubines and 200 children, so many Vietnamese can trace their ancestry back to this dynasty.
The 4th emperor was the last real Vietnamese emperor. The 5th to 13th were not direct descendants as he had no children. Later emperors had less power in the French colonial era.
After the last emperor abdicated in 1945, houses were built inside the citadel area for the people. This was the first time assets were transferred from the wealthy to the poor. He worked with Ho Chi Minh. Not many people supported the emperor as he was considered a puppet for the French.
Architecture:
The first noticeable element was bullet holes as we walked through the external walls. These were the result of an earlier battle detailed below. The citadel still dominates the left bank of the Perfumed River. Its formal moats and impressive ramparts were constructed to be an exact copy of the Forbidden City in Beijing, and whilst much of the inner city suffered badly during the heavy bombardments of the Tet Offensive in 1968, the huge outer walls and the West Wing remain an eloquent reminder of the palace’s former glory.
War history :
This was the scene of the Battle of Hue, part of the broader Tet Offensive in 1968, a major battle and turning point in the Vietnam (American) War. The Tet offensive was a massive coordinated attack targeting 100 towns and cities. NVA and Vietcong forces took advantage of the annual ceasefire at the time of Tet to launch a surprise attack, using the celebratory fireworks as cover. They then blocked the entrances and stayed in the Imperial City for one month. Later that year came the My Lai massacre during which many civilians were killed by US forces. Allied forces eventually recaptured the city but the battle is believed to have started a process which eventually led to the end of the war.
When the Vietnamese visit these places they often hire traditional costumes for photo opportunities while walking around. They are mainly ladies but also a few men get dressed up for the occasion. It all adds to the ambience of the places and makes for some lovely photogrpahs for the rest of the tourists.
After this, we visited a nearby family to learn to make a tasty snack that is popular during TET (Vietnamese New Year) celebrations – green bean cake. We really enjoyed moulding these cakes and then dipping them in agar and painting them for a professional finish!! 😀 They also tasted delicious!
We also went for a Viva Star coffee, where most of us had delicious iced coconut coffee. Mavis had iced coffee with condensed milk – we were impressed that even the ice cubes were made of coffee!
There are more than 300 temples and pagodas in Hue. Today, we went to visit one of the most famous. Thien Mu pagoda was built in 1601 and is an iconic image of Hue. Design elements around this pagoda showcase the principles of Feng shui, with a balance between wind and water.
The tomb of emperor Tu Duc is nearby in the same complex as a pavilion and temple. He would use it for trips with his concubine. Fighting took place here in 1968 due to its proximity to the Ho Ch Minh trail. Again, there were bullet holes visible in the walls.
We were lucky to round off the evening with a street food tour during which Thin took us to some of his favourite local places. You can see what we sampled in the photos below.
