Hue sits on the north and south banks of the rather romantically-named Perfume River. This lovely, green and tranquil city was the capital of the Nguyen Emperors from 1802 to 1945. A delicate mist hangs in the air imbuing the light with an ethereal quality. The main tourist district is on the south bank and this is where all the hotels, bars and restaurants frequented by westerners are. On the north bank is the Citadel, a walled and moated city where a sizeable proportion of the inhabitants of Hue reside. This is the heart of Hue and has a much more local and, standing by Tinh Tam lake, a distinctly rural, feel. The lake occupies a sizeable area in the centre of the Citadel and is crossed by a pathway and bridges and is frequented by conical-hatted locals fishing from the bridges or wading, chest-deep, in its waters, harvesting the water spinach that covers the surface.
The Citadel is home to the walled Imperial Enclosure from where the Nuygen emperors ruled the country for more than 150 years up to 1945 when Bao Dai abdicated to Ho Chi Minh’s Government. More of the Imperial Enclosure in a later blog.
The Citadel is a delightful area, and despite the constant drizzle, we spend an enjoyable day meandering round the empty leafy streets and the outer walls. Along these paths and streets it is possible to escape the attentions of the cyclo drivers and soak up the tranquil atmosphere undisturbed. We find an unusual restaurant built on silts in a quiet residential road (courtesy of Lonely Planet). Apparently normally frequented by Vietnamese, today it seems that others have also been consulting their LP and although empty when we arrive. we are soon joined by several other western tourists.
We round off the day with a drink (or in Andy’s case, several) in the DMZ bar close to the hotel.