Vietnamese Whirl Part 6 - Huế We Go!

Lauded by the National Geographic magazine as the “Vegetarian food capital of Vietnam”, I was looking forward to our stay in the historic imperial city of Huế (pronounced “hooway”).  I couldn’t resist booking a stay at the “Gone with the Wind” themed Scarlett Boutique hotel – although it sounded rather dodgy at first with their “adult-only” rooms sporting names like “the Scarlett Suite” and “the Passion Room”.  However, our minds were put to rest as we were shown to our comfortable “Rhett Room” by the friendly staff…and apart from the chairs which had corseted backs (!), there was no sign of any other saucy trappings.  Although, frankly, I didn’t give a damn…

Thankfully the sun eventually graced our arrival as we crossed over one of the many bridges which spanned the Perfume River (supposedly named after the aromatic plants from the nearby mountains).  We passed by the impressive UNESCO grand Imperial Citadel as we pulled into the bus station and planned a visit there for the following day.

That evening we set out to explore the nearby “walking street” and looked forward to “walking” unheeded by traffic to find a nearby Italian restaurant. The surrounding roads were indeed blocked off to cars, but this didn’t stop the odd scooter chancing their luck, and as always, the pavements were full of tables and chairs.  The area did seem very popular with locals and tourists alike and was heaving, as we tried to find somewhere for a quiet drink after dinner.  It was nice however to see kids out playing and able to kick a football about in the street, as we drank mojitos at a cute Cuban bar on the corner…

As we entered through one of the gates of the Citadel which surrounds the Imperial Palace the next morning, we were surprised at the grand scale of the place.  Although relatively modern (build by the Emperor Nguyen Anh in 1803), the complex of palaces, temples, walls, gates and gardens showcased Chinese, Vietnamese and even some French influences.  The last emperor only abdicated in 1945 when forced to by the French colonists, and the buildings were heavily bombed in the wars and fell into a state of disrepair until they were restored in the 1990’s.

We spend a good few hours exploring the intriguingly sounding Forbidden Purple City (the original “purple reign perhaps?!)  and the various elaborately decorated royal residences – there was even a royal theatre.  On the walls were interesting old black and white photos of the last few emperors along with their prodigy, wives and concubines.  The grounds were equally impressive with a carp filled lake, serene water gardens and shady courtyards, which were a blessed relief in the high humidity.

The weather took a turn for the worse again the following few days, but we did manage to hire a driver to take us to a couple of the royal tombs situated just outside of the city. The mausoleum dedicated to Emperor Khai Dinh was situated among pine forests and due to his short reign, was only completed 6 years after his death. Climbing up more steps flanked by dragons, we reached a platform containing stone warriors, horses and elephants – quite impressive.  We felt that the mausoleum itself would have benefited from a bit of jet-washing, but inside it contained some beautiful ornate porcelain tilework with strong French art nouveau influences.

Next was the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, who again died at a young age without any heirs due to a childhood illness which left him infertile (and possibly exhausted, due to having over 100 wives and concubines!).  Sensibly, he began building his tomb 16 years before he eventually needed it – probably egged on by some of his wives!

Meanwhile, it was used as a summer palace, and again sported splendid grounds including several pagodas, and a splendid koi carp lake with an island where he kept rare species.  With all those wives, I’m sure he had a “man shed” hidden away there too!

The last stop was at the riverside pagoda of Thien Mu – at seven storeys high, it was purportedly the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. A Buddhist monastery was also on the site, and we could hear the monks chanting as we walked through the grounds.  They were obviously keen gardeners as the grounds were carefully manicured and included a whole courtyard of incredible bonsai trees.

I didn’t get to sample much of the “local” vegetarian cuisine in the end, but we did find a couple of local bars which served great cocktails, and the place was positively buzzing in the evenings with young Vietnamese enjoying the nightlife. We were certainly feeling our age!

Next Stop: Rain, rain…go away!