1.15.2013

Hue - The Imperial Capital of the Nguyen Dynasty

Hue was an interesting little town to stop in and I kind of liked it.  It is known for the Citadel, Imperial City, and for some reason, vegetarian food.  It is one of the major stops on the Open Bus Tour and is worth a 2 or 3 day visit, longer if you like to relax.  It was the northern most city controlled by the South during the war and there was at least one big battle in Hue.  Also, on a side note, we met a great Korean guy traveling through SE Asia.  Alas, here are a few of the photos from Hue...


 (Hue is known for the citadel, which is huge)


(That is the same flag in the background, just to give you an idea of the size)


(A man was peddling wares from the Vietnam War, including a few US Dog Tags)


(One of the gates into the walled city.  We were on foot and had the pleasure of going towards traffic.)


 (The entrance to the Imperial Palace)


(Same flag, again, with me, jumping)


(Entrance to the Supreme Harmony Palace and Enclosure)


(Inside, Samsung had a view video screens set up to teach a little history about the city)


(The palace grounds were quite large and took well over half a day to walk around)


(An interesting little gate...)


(Not sure if this damage was natural or from the war)


(This building had yet to be refinished so the effects of the war could still be clearly seen)


(Here is a photo where you can see things a little better and the damage that was done.  In some areas, I could see what appeared to be bullet damage.)


 (Not sure what it is, but I liked it - it is almost like a blind for a window made out of wood)


(Another gate, this one with 3 openings.  Usually, it was one for the king, one for the queen, and one for everyone else.  Or, one for the king and queen, one for scholars, and one for military personnel.  I can't quite remember how it worked in Vietnam.)


 (I believe this was the queen's tea room...)


 (This was the pond with a tree growing in it outside the queen's meditation building)


 (That is the queen's building where she would meditate)


 (Another sweet gate)


 (Anything in there???)



(The government is starting to rebuild and restore a lot of the buildings.  Here, the work was obvious.)


(A nice little pathway...)


 (The Royal Theater)


 (Royal Regalia)


(The Spanish family we met in Halong Bay and hung out with in Hue)


 (These were used for fires and to ward off evil spirits as they would see their reflections from above)


 (Golden Dragon)


 (The Palace of Supreme Harmony from a different angle and on our way out)


(The main entrance as we were leaving) 


 (A little Communist propaganda poster on the side of the road for all to see...)


(Something to do with Ho Chi Minh and the revolution)

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