The city of Hue, population 361,000, is yet another UNESCO
World Heritage Site- we managed to hit quite a few of them on this trip! It is
situated on a bend in the Perfume River and was once the imperial capital of
Vietnam. Unfortunately, this city was thoroughly assaulted by American forces
when the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong seized control of it back in 1968.
Whole neighborhoods were leveled and napalm was dropped on the imperial palace.
Much of the Citadel, the heart of the city, remains badly damaged and it is
only through foreign aid that renovations of areas like the Imperial Enclosure
and the Forbidden Purple City have recently begun.
Our favorite experience in Hue was a motorbike tour that
took us to many of Hue’s highlights beyond the Citadel walls. To clarify, we
were the passengers, not the drivers. Being on two wheels enabled us to go
through all sorts of back alleys, down dirt paths, and along causeways stretching
across the rice fields. As we zoomed between sightseeing points, and it allowed
us a glimpse into the lives and the living conditions of the locals. A fantastic experience- we loved it!
From Hue, we headed further south to Hoi An. Hoi An is probably tied with Hanoi as my
favorite city of the trip, but they each have a very different feel. Unlike
bustling, polluted, pulsating Hanoi, Hoi An is quaint, relaxed, riverside town
that never progressed architecturally beyond colonial times and is now being
preserved and cultivated into a tourist’s dream. Because it was once a port town, a variety of
different cultures and exerted their influence, as evidenced by the numerous
Chinese temples and Japanese merchant houses. Photo opportunities are endless
here- many of the buildings are painted a beautiful burnt ocher, vibrantly
colored boats line the river banks, and thousands of jewel-toned lanterns are
strung between building façades all up and down the streets.
Hoi An is a culinary hot spot- those who aspire to take a
Vietnamese cooking class will be overwhelmed by choices here. It is also known
for its silks and tailoring shops abound- for about $200, you can go in, have
your measurements taken, and essentially walk away in a custom-made suit 24
hours later. Equally, you can take in a picture from a magazine (your favorite
Oscars dress, for example) and have that whipped up within a few days too! A
number of people in our group ordered suits and business shirts- and they all
seemed quite pleased with their purchases. The coffee roasters and gourmet
smoothie stores are moving fast, however, and massage parlors are multiplying
as both locals and investors cater to the increasing stream of tourists heading
this way.
To see the sights of Hoi An beyond the central old town, we
did another truly fantastic bike tour- non-motorized this time. Along the way,
we stopped to take a brief ride on a water buffalo and pulled over at a fishing
village where we went floating through a water coconut grove in basket boats.
We also paused to admire the gardens of one of the cutest old couples I’ve ever
had the pleasure to meet. They are local
celebrities thanks to photographer Réhahn, whom we also had the pleasure of
meeting when we visited his newly opened Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
in town. If you enjoy portrait
photography, I encourage you to check out some of his work:
