Hue Vietnam

The next morning we arrived in the city of Da Nang. We had chosen to visit the Imperial city of Hue, about 80 miles north of Da Nang. Our bus ride would take about 2.5 hours because of the traffic and narrow road. We would also have to cross over Vietnam’s highest mountain pass, Hai Van (Cloudy) Pass. So with a great spirit of adventure we set off for the day! As we approached Da Nang we began to notice an increasing number of motorcycles. The bus had to dart in and out of the heavy motorcycle traffic. Our guide said in Vietnam people drive on any side of the road so there really were no traffic lanes. It was every man for himself and the motorcycles couldn’t have cared less about being near our big bus. There were also lots of trucks on the road but few cars. The trucks passed the bus which passed the motorcycles and vice versa the whole way, even over the winding mountain pass! It was quite a ride. Nevertheless, the scenery was spectacular and we stopped several times along the way for photos and potty breaks. At one point we passed 2 people riding on water buffalos along the side of the road. The bus stopped and we got out and took pictures. I came within inches of the friendly beast. Of course, once we stopped several others came up to the bus and we had people on water buffalos all around us – all wanting a dollar for a picture! We continued on to Hue past rice fields and small farming villages. Hue was definitely worth the trip. Hue was the Imperial City of the Nguyen Emperors during their reign from 1802 to 1945. We visited the 7 story Thien Mu Pagoda next to the Perfume River, and the tomb which looks like a royal palace of Emperor Tu Duc. We also stopped at the Forbidden City of the Emperor which was heavily damaged during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese are working hard to restore the historic buildings and no trace of the war can be found. Our guide was hesitant to talk about the war as well. It seems the Vietnamese want to forget and move on. Before we left we were treated to a meal of Vietnamese cuisine at the Century Riverside Hotel. The Vietnamese spring rolls are the best but the bean curd covered with some strange kind of chocolate was not so great. The local beer, Huda, was yummy!! We were warmly treated by the Vietnamese people wherever we went. We had another wild ride back to Da Nang but were sad to leave our guide Huy. He was a funny and intelligent young man who showed us his home town with grace and charm. The war left the country in shambles and even though there has been a lot done to renovate and reconstruct from the damage, it will be a long time before the country is truly healed. Although we had a fun day and saw a lot of amazing sights, it was also a day of reflection for us. The Vietnam War, which by the way, they call the American War, was a big part of our lives. It was hard to believe that we were in the Vietnam that we had heard so much about and to see the effects of the war on the country and the people.