World Travel with Bob: Hue, My Son and Hoi An

Hue, Viet Nam

Driving from Da Nang to Hue, over the 1,600 foot elevation Hai Van pass, we arrived for a short visit to the historic Imperial City and the tombs of the Nguyen dynasty.

During our visit, we stayed at the modern Eldora Hotel in downtown Hue. This hotel had nicely furnished public areas but the actual rooms could have used a little attention. Though hot water availability was not an issue. The registration desk warned us about the hot water temperature and they were correct. It was the only hotel that I can recall where you had to turn on the cold water tap first and slowly add hot water to avoid getting scalded.

A couple blocks away from the Eldora was the Hanh Restaurant, where we stopped for a dinner of local Hue specialties. Our dinner for two ran a very reasonable $10USD. We later learned that Anthony Bourdain also stopped for a meal at this same restaurant in 2014.

Hanh Restaurant

Dinner for Two, $10USD

The Citadel, Hue, Viet Nam

In 1804, the Emperor of Viet Nam began building his palace in Hue. The plans called for a fortress and palace similar in design to China's Forbidden City. The Citadel is surrounded by four fortified walls, each 1.2 miles in length. A palace, many buildings and gardens were constructed within the four walls. The innermost area was called the Forbidden Purple City and reserved only for imperial family members. The Citadel was no longer in use by the mid-1900s.

In early 1969, during the Tet Offensive, the North Vietnamese Army invaded Hue and seized much of the city. The Battle of Hue was one of the bloodiest and longest battles in the Viet Nam War. During the Battle of Hue many of the Citadel buildings were damaged or destroyed. Only ten of the 160 Citadel buildings remained after the fighting. 80 percent of the city of Hue was destroyed during the battle.

In 1993, the Citadel was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.

It was raining throughout our visit to the Imperial City and, thus, we didn't have many opportunities to take photos.

Nguyen Dynasty Tombs, Hue, Viet Nam

On the morning of our departure from Hue to Hoi An, we visited two tombs of Nguyen emperors, Khai Dinh and Ming Mang.

The tomb of Khai Dinh was built over 11 years and was completed in 1931. This tomb was much more modern in style, reflecting European and Asian architecture. Concrete and steel products, rather than wood, were used to construct the tomb. Elaborate wall mosaics contained cultural icons as well as more western items, such as clocks.

Ming Mang was the second emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. His tomb is very large and offers a tranquil vision. Completed in 1843, two years after the death of Ming Mang, the tomb area contains 40 buildings, a large lake and beautiful gardens. Again, it was raining during our visit and given the slippery tiles and mud walks, we shortened the length of time we spent at this tomb.

On our return drive from Hue to Hoi An, we drove through the Hai Van tunnel. Completed in 2005, the Hai Van tunnel is almost four miles long. While the current tunnel supports two traffic lanes, a second tunnel was built alongside the first for future use as traffic needs dictate. Note the longest automobile tunnel in the world is the Laerdal Tunnel in Norway - a mere 15.23 miles long.

My Son, Viet Nam

About an hours drive from Hoi An, lies My Son, the home of the Champa Kings. Constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries, the temples were used to worship the god Shiva. This lush valley was the ultimate resting place for Champa Kings and national heros. At one time, My Son was home to about 70 temples. However, over time the area was subject to dramatic changes. In 605AD, an invasion by Chinese military resulted in the removal of many temple relics and statues.

The French studied and restored several temples between 1939 and 1943. However, bombing by US armed forces in 1969 is said to be responsible for the destruction of many My Son temples, including those restored by the French. In 1999, UNESCO designated My Son as a world heritage site.

Hoi An, Viet Nam

With historical roots from the Champa Empire, Hoi An became an international trading port during the 15th to 19th centuries. Later, international trading migrated to Da Nang and Hoi An's importance as a trading center diminished.

As we walked along Hoi An streets, it is easy to see the construction influence of the Chinese, Japanese and French. The central town was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999.

We were surprised at the number of tourists visiting Hoi An. There are many restaurants and bars in town, as well as historical and cultural buildings to see while in Hoi An - not to mention custom tailor shops. In fact, there are so many custom tailor shops that selecting one is somewhat of a challenge. I had a blazer custom made at Kimmy Tailors while we were there. After taking many measurements, I returned for a couple of fittings and picked the blazer up after two days. The cost of a custom tailored blazer starts at $60USD, but can easily increase to $140 depending on your wool and lining selection.

Our stay at the Anantara Resort was very convenient to walking into the central city area for dinner and walking tours.

Hoi An Market and Other Photos

During a Hoi An country-side tour, our guide took us crabbing in a circular rattan boat. This was a pretty unique experience. Crabbing was not easy, we only caught one while on the water.

World Travel with Bob

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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Hue, My Son and Hoi An - 2016

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