Vietnam: Hue

I go to Hue on a sleeper coach/bus overnite from Hanoi. Sleeper bus / Bus litera de hanoi a Hue




I actually slept around eight hours. The bed is preety hard yet it is more comfotable than regular seats and I save some time by having the full day to exploire Hué, former capital of the empire in the XIX century and til 1945 during the Nguyen Dinasty, which left a legacy of tombs in the surroundings of this cityh worth the visit. I got picked up by a motorist to get me to the hotel. Once there he explanied he does tours on the motorbkie to the main sites, avoiding some whose entrence fee is high and going to the main sites only but also some out of the ordinary. I agreed to it and we set off almost inmediately since my room was not to be ready til later. So we set off and visit a few shops along the road that make incense for the offers to Buddha. The make it by mixing cynammon, glue and wood powder. The result is this beautiful: Fabricación de las barritas de incienso / Making process of the incense

Exposición del incienso / A display of the incense in different colours

Also, they make the characterictic conic hats: Fabricación de los sombreros cónicos / Making of the conic hats
We then go to the river, outside town where I see the US bunkers on the south side shore of the river, used during the Vietnam War by the yankees.
La orilla norte del Song Huong, u Rio del Perfume / Facing north shore of the Song Huong or Perfume River

Bunkers yankis de la Guerra del Vietnam en la orilla sur del rio / Yankee bunkers from the Vietnam War on the south shore We make it to a Buddhist temple in time to witness (just me) the praying at 10:00. Buddhism in Vietnam follows a different type od buddhism, a unification of three: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.


After this we then move to an open air tomb of the many of the Nguyen Dinasty, and one of the main sites: The Tomb of Tu Duc Tumba de la dinastia Nguyen notablemente deteriorada / Tomb of the Nguyen Dinasty severly deteriorated


Tumba de Tu Duc / The Tu Duc tomb






Thien Mu Pagoda This is a nice Buddhist temple with magnificent gardens







We then moved on to the famous citadel for a quick drive and a stop at the area where they maintain some of the military equipment confiscated to the US army. VIDEO: Entrada a la ciudadela de Hué / entrance to Hué's citadel
Finally we went to a small village aftre driving through green rice fields to see a covered bridge legacy of the Japanese presence over 400 years ago! The bridge is a beautiful piece and is still used for the rest of the local people. VIDEO: Through the rice fields Fotos del puente cubierto de origen japonés datado hace más de 400 anyos / Covered Japanese bridge dated over 400 years




At the other side of the bridge a big newly built house hosts a small museum or rice growing, with utensils and artifacts on display that an old lady promptly offers to show you on a live demostration you may check out on the videos. She is an old cute lady who has worked a great deal, from farming to raising her children, and it was a very sweet moment to spend this time with her. In exchange she would only expect a purchase of any of her bamboo homeware at very low prices. She alone made my trip to Vietnam!!! Video Viejita arroz 1
Video viejita arroz 2
Viejita arroz3
Viejita arroz 4