Hue

After leaving Nha Trang I headed up to Hue which is along the central coast of Vietnam. This town was not on my original itinerary but since I had a few extra days to myself I thought it would be a nice stop. Unfortunately I quickly realized that 1 day was probably all that I needed to see the main sights but I had 3 days to spend. I had the expectation that Hue would be full of happy and friendly people who are among the 'gentlest in the country' as my guide book depicted. Perhaps my expectations were set too high as I found that many of the people I interacted with were a bit less friendly and helpful than my experience in the other towns of Vietnam. The town certainly had a different vibe to it than the other cities I have visited but perhaps I have been too spoiled after a luxurious week in Nha Trang. At any rate, I did get a chance to see some interesting sights and the best part of my stay there is that I decided to try riding a ''xe om'' or motorbike. The thought of riding on the back of the xe om in Saigon was terrifying but since Hue is substantially more subdued I decided to go for it. I have never ridden on a motorcycle or motorbike before and I have to say that as soon as my driver sped off I was thrilled. We were zipping around all over town, through beautiful back roads, past numerous pagodoas and tombs - I had a perma-grin on my face and felt like a little kid on a thrilling amusement park ride. I ended up hiring my driver for the rest of my time in Hue and have to admit that I had the most fun on the back of the bike than seeing the sights!

My xe om driver Mr. Teo, picture from the back of the motorbike


Imperial City, Thien Mu Pagoda, Perfume River



Conical Hat Making Village, My attempt at making an incense stick


Tu Hieu Pagoda (my favorite sight of Hue)


The National School in Hue



Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc



On my last day in Hue I met up with my friend Alan from Portland who is also good friends with Gloria and Keith. We visited a couple more famous tombs in the area: Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, Tomb of Khai Dinh and then took a boat back on the Perfume River.