Hue - a lesson in History

Discovering Hue the Imperial City

Early morning flight to Hue.....get up at 4am for a 6:40 flight.

The promised driver was there to pick us up at the airport and delivered us to the New Star Hotel, it's only 8:30 so we have a coffee and go for a walk till a room is ready.  On the way Gina has a eyebrow wax, manicure and pedicure for $10 all at once, three young girls, they wanted to do more but that was the limit.

A quick makeover in Hue - three workers one supervisor.

Back to the hotel to sort out the laundry, have a rest and checkout the pool. Gina has a rest and Tony goes off to explore the city.L'aubergine cafe for lunch was a good choice, fresh juice, Hue pancake, soup and fresh baguette. .

Let's checkout some of these shops, soon after starting we find a beautiful reversible silk jacket, Gina tried on many dresses but settled for the jacket only, $25 bargain surely.

DMZ cafe/bar, great atmosphere, writing all over the walls and ceiling, obviously a young persons hangout, but has gained a reputation in just a few short years, six, and you can by a share holding in the company if you wish. They also run a cafe Little Italy, and a hotel. We imagine this business will. Do very well out of the backpacker market.

The next morning it was off on a tour of the culture of Hue. Coach arrives packed with people from all over the world, all eager to get a sense of Vietnamese history. We were to visit four of the passed Kings palaces and tombs, see a martial arts display along with conical hat and incense making, and of course a huge lunch.

Hue City, Vietnam's political capital from 1802 to 1945 under the 13 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. Traditionally, the city has been one of Vietnam's cultural, religious and educational centers.

Hey there is an odd one in here!

Intricate tile work very modern for the time.

Reconstruction work at the Citadel

You've got to move quick

The Citadel  in Hue

Official tour description: 

"Start the trip at your hotel in Hue City with Tourguide & Driver. Visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, then the Tombs of King Khai Dinh and King Tu Duc. Come back to Hue for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch at local restaurant, continue to visit the Imperial City, which is located in the Citadel. Modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial City was built in the early 19th century. Explore the Thai Hoa Palace, with its spacious hall and ornate roof of huge timbers supported by 80 carved and lacquered columns. See the Halls of the Mandarins, the Nine Dynastic Urns and the site where the Forbidden Purple City once stood and Dong Ba market.

The trip finishes at 5:30pm at your hotel!"

Yes that's what we did and it was extremely informative and interesting, our guide spoke reasonable English so we didn't miss out on any of the facts.

Incense making

Conical hat  construction