The Battle of Hue

Day 1 – May 6

After an hour and twenty minute flight on VietJet Air from Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived in Hue City around 5:30pm (an hour delayed but better late than never).  Thanks to our previous unpleasant baggage experience with JetStar, we decided to prepay online just in case we couldn’t carry on (every airline has such different rules – some are very strict while others are relatively lenient).  And luckily we did because $7 is a lot easier to swallow than $40.  We are only here in Hue City for 2 nights, which is one of our shortest visits yet, and will be staying at Cherish Hotel for $31.  The accommodations themselves were nothing to write home about.  Pretty blah, somewhat depressing, airport like old school rooms.  At least the view made up for it.

That night, we walked around the town, grabbed a bite to eat and enjoyed some fascinating people watching (per usual).  When I eventually return home, my eyes are going to be so bored because everyone seems to resemble each other for the most part.  The way they dress, the way the eat, the way they live are fairly similar to me so it’s nothing new (unless you got to Venice or Hollywood then it’s extremely entertaining).  However, here in Asia, there are so many random foreign habits to witness that quickly turn a dull night into a memorable one.  And tonight was no exception.  For example, a high chair took on a whole new meaning.  Kind of genius though.

Day 2 – May 7

When we arrived last night, we were warmly greeted by a man named Quey – a young, probably mid twenties guy who worked at the concierge desk.  The terms eager, persistent and semi aggressive pretty much sum him up.  However, he walked a fine line between being helpful and being painfully annoying.  Last night, he briefly mentioned two options for us to enjoy a full day of sightseeing today.  We could either rent a motorbike and conduct our own self guided tour (the option in which he was strongly pushing for some bizarre reason) or we could hire a driver with an air conditioned car who will lead the tour for us (the option I was strongly leaning towards to get a nice relief every now and then from the heat).  The price was about 5 times more expensive though so we said we would think about it and get back to him in the morning.  Around 7am, our phone rings.  “Hello” Vinny says with half of a brain (which is still bigger than my full brain probably, hahaha).  Ummmm who could that be and why are they calling this early I thought to myself?  Well, it was Quey.  “Have you guys decided what you want to do today yet?”.  “No we haven’t because we are still sleeping”, Vinny replies.  “But once we figure it out we will come see you, we promise”.  Okay, back to bed.  Around 8am, our phone rings again.  Can you guess who it was?  You sure are right, it was Quey yet again.  He says “I’m waiting at the concierge desk for you guys, where are you?”.  Okay, this is starting to get weird.  We explained to him that we were going to have breakfast, talk about it amongst ourselves and then we will let him know.  The minute we returned back to our room around 9am, he called again.  THIRD TIME.  Are you serious?  To get him off our back, we made our way to the concierge desk to let him know we wanted the motorbike.  He asked what time and we said probably around 11am but would come find him when we were ready.  Well, at 10:30am, there was a knock at our door.  It was Quey.  “Are you guys ready for the bike?”.  I replied in my sweet, gentle voice (although I had to really bite my tongue on this one) and reminded him we didn’t want it until 11am.  He asked us if we could come down earlier since the person delivering it was waiting for us.  Long story long, this was quite an unpleasant experience.  I’m not sure if it was an “under the table” kind of deal and Quey didn’t want his managers to find out or if he was just really eager to please but regardless, there is no need to call a hotel guest’s phone 3 times before 9am on a SATURDAY while they are on vacation and then knock on their door 30 minutes prior to the requested time.  Obsessive is an understatement.  Oh well, it sure makes for a great story!

Once we got the bike situation under control, I briefly talked to my Dad for a little.  For those of you that are lucky enough to know him, he’s an extremely funny guy with a wonderful sense of humor but he doesn’t get overly excited about a lot of things (maybe that’s the lawyer in him).  When he asked “where in the world are Kim and Vinny today” and I responded with Hue City – he instantly became as excited as a kid in a candy store, a puppy that tried human food for the first time, a sports fan who witnessed their team win their first ever championship.  Being the Vietnam War guru that he is, he could barely control his enthusiasm.  He has pretty much read every book and seen probably every movie there is so knowing that my two feet are walking on the same ground that some of the most pivotal moments of the war occurred on was just music to his ears.  Although The Battle of Hue is not a positive memory for my dad nor anyone else familiar with it, it will forever be a historical memory.  And this is why.

The Battle of Hue, which began on January 30, 1968, was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War, lasting 26 days in total. It cost the South Vietnamese 384 killed, 1,830 wounded and 30 missing in action. North Vietnamese casualties included 5,000 dead and countless more wounded.  The U.S. Marines lost 142 dead and 857 wounded, and the U.S. Army suffered 74 dead and 507 wounded.  Months after the battle, grisly discoveries were filling in the blanks as some 2,800 missing bodies were discovered in hastily concealed mass graves in and around Hue.  The epic battle left much of the ancient city in a pile of rubble as 40 percent of its buildings were destroyed, leaving some 116,000 civilians homeless.

Now that we are all depressed from these hard to digest facts, let’s move on (although most of our day was spent visiting tombs – not much more uplifting).  Just as an FYI – I will give a little history about all of these stops but really, the architecture and design of the structures are what really caught my eye.  My feelings won’t be hurt if you skim through quickly just for the pictures.  I don’t blame you.  These tombs and their surrounding complexes are mesmerizing.  The detail, the magnitude, the scope of it all is beyond comprehension.  Photos don’t do it justice but I will certainly try to provide you with the best front row seat possible.

First on our tour was the Tu Duc Tomb, which is one of the most beautiful works of royal architecture of the Nguyen dynasty and lies in a boundless pine forest 8km from Hue.  The Tu Duc Tomb was constructed from 1864-1867 and served as a second imperial city where the Emperor, who reigned from 1848-1883, came for relief from national and household concerns.  The emperor’s contemplative nature and poetic spirit was reflected in the landscape and arrangement of the 50 buildings.  The tomb complex is divided into 2 main areas – the ritual and the burial.  The tombs of Empress Le Thien Anh and Emperor Kien Phuc, who briefly ruled in 1884, are also located inside the wall of the complex.

Next up was the Khai Dinh Tomb.  Khai Dinh, who reigned from the Imperial Citadel of Hue from 1916 until 1925, was the last of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors to have a grand mausoleum built in his honor.  His tomb, utterly distinct from the styles developed in other Nguyen Dynasty tombs, is a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements. Most of the tomb’s grandiose exterior is covered in blackened concrete, creating an unexpectedly Gothic air, while the interiors resemble an explosion of colorful mosaic. The construction of his tomb apparently took 11 years to be completed.

What and or who doesn’t belong here?

I feel so much safer knowing the security guard is really taking his job seriously…

Our third stop of the day was the Minh Mang Tomb, which is the final resting place of one of the Nguyen Dynasty’s staunchest Confucians, whose reign from 1820 to 1840 represents the apex of Nguyen power over the country. It is located on the west bank of the Perfume River about 12km south of Hue City center.  Touted as the most majestic of all Nguyen Dynasty royal tombs, it is a 44 acre complex comprised of 40 constructions: palaces, temples, pavilions, lakes, etc.  Many said that it’s a perfect combination of both manmade and natural beauty, where architecture fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape. It’s designed as a symmetric axis (called Than Dao), which some believe represent a willingness on his behalf to achieve balance during his reign as emperor.  His achievements included the construction of highways, a postal service, public storehouses for food and a variety of monetary and agricultural reforms aimed at helping the poor.  Although all the tombs are impressive, I personally liked this one the best.

Our fourth stop of the day was the Thien Mu Pagoda, which was built in 1601. Otherwise referred to as the Heavenly Lady Pagoda, the Thien Mu Pagoda is situated on a hill, on the north bank of the Perfume River a few miles southwest of central Hue. The temple complex stretches north from the river banks in seven successive tiers, each of which is dedicated to a manushi-buddha (a Buddha that appeared in human form).

Last but certainly not least, we visited the Citadel, which is a large fortress built in the 17th century and acted as the Nguyen Dynasty’s capital city from 1805 until 1945.  Inside the Citadel is the Imperial City, the Forbidden City and the Civic Center or Capital.  The Forbidden Purple City was only allowed by the Queen Mother, empresses, servants, concubines, eunuchs of the court and of course, the emperor himself (much like the Forbidden City in China –  a city built just for the Emperor and his entourage).  Any man who would dare to go beyond just the threshold, was sentenced to death.  The original perimeter of the Citadel was 10 square kilometers, surrounded by walls in which 10 Gates allowed access to the interior of this restricted place.  About 160 buildings once stood inside (palaces, temples, ramparts, moats, etc.) but sadly less than a dozen survived the Battle of Hue in 1968 during the Vietnam War. What’s left of the Citadel is impressive, but it’s clearly just a shadow compared to what it once was.

 

 

I’m taking a photo of Vinny taking a photo since these two guys kindly asked for one…

Runners club, get in while it’s hot…

 

You’re going straight?  No problem.  You’re turning left?  No problem.  You’re turning right?  No problem.  All at once now.  Somehow, riding a motorbike in Vietnam is like oil and vinegar – it’s one big blob until they all separate at the right time to allow for everyone to have their very own space.

That night, we walked to Family Home Restaurant for dinner, which was a delicious local Vietnamese family owned restaurant (I’m sure you figured out that based on the name though).  It was down a random alley, with cheerful kids playing catch me if you can and a potent mixture of various smells including food, motorbike exhaust and stray dog urine.

I will be going to bed tonight feeling a little smarter than I was this morning thanks to our very educational learning day.  There is so much history in Hue whether it’s the emperors and their family ruled dynasties or the run in with the French in 1947 or the American-Vietnam War in 1968.  No book or movie or professor can showcase the importance this city once held greater than seeing it for yourself.

Day 3- May 8 

Today we are taking a 2.5 hour train from Hue City to Hoi An via Da Nang…

Everyone at the train station looked a bit confused though.  It made me confused.  Are you now confused as to why I was confused?  Maybe they all lost their train of thought?  HA!

It was perfectly on time (which is always appreciated) and it had air conditioning.  Amen.

 

Here is the food cart on board, which was filled with pre-cooked meats in tupperware…

And some pretty awesome scenery along the way…

What do you call a train that eats toffee?  A chew, chew train.  On that note, I’m excited to see you in Hoi An as my love for this country is definitely growing with each new city!