Hue

We are in Hue now, the old imperial capital of Vietnam (and parts of Laos and Cambodia) when the Nguyen dynesty ruled in the 18th and 19th centuries until the French took over Hue in 1885. Hue was also the scene of the bloodiest battles of the 1968 Tet Offensive in which Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces controlled the city for several weeks. Much of the city was devestated by bombing.

The beautiful city lies along the wide Perfume River which has quite a number of river boats moving up and down. It was fun to walk across the river yesterday evening enjoying the peaceful river scene besides a virtual river of bicycle and motorbike traffic flowed across the bridge. We are staying in a simple hotel on a quiet street and are enjoying the excellent food in Hue.

The bus ride yesterday from Lang Co up the coast reminded me that Vietnam is fortunate to have a long, rich and beautiful coast line. Along the route we passed many fishing villages and saw many boats and shrimp and fish ponds on the right hand side while on the left side of the bus we passed large rice paddies that seemed to shine in an almost flourescent green color with lush, steep, forested mountains beyond the paddies. The weather was about 80 degrees and extemely muggy and hazy. The previous day, when our bus stopped for lunch at a seaside restaurant and hotel, we made a spontaneous decision to get off our bus and spend the night at a hotel there. In the morning, we rented a motorbike and drove up the beautiful Hai Van Pass between Da Nang and the town of Lang Co where we were staying. We enjoyed viewing the outstanding mountain and coastal scenery.At the top of the pass, one can see Da Nang looking south through the mist.