Day Three in Hue

We had a break in the weather this morning after breakfast at the hotel and decided to grab a cab to visit the Citadel.

The gates to the Imperial City

Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam from 1802 until the mid 20^th century and the Citadel was built to contain the grounds of the imperial city. Within the walls there was a major Chinese influence throughout the building design and clothing that was worn during the dynasties that ruled the land. It was well worth the trip to see the different way the Vietnamese lived when under imperial rule. Unfortunately, a lot of the buildings were destroyed by American bombing during the war, though what is left is being restored by the Vietnamese government and UNESCO.

The Koi carp in the moat surrounding the City vying for food

One of the several thrones on display

Statuettes of workers on display

 In one of the garden areas

One of the garden areas within the City

We spent several hours wandering the Citadel before retiring back to the Hotel for the afternoon. The skies opened again during the afternoon so little sightseeing was done. We finished the day with a meal at the Missy Roo Hue café (some weird names over here!) with Phil finding out that the word ‘satay’ in Vietnamese means ‘make my meal hotter than Hades”, however he battled through it without suffering any permanent injury. Murray opted for claypot fish, whilst Michelle had Chicken with vegetable and cashews.

Chicken with vegetables and cashews

Tomorrow we leave Hue for Hoi An. We travel by private car over the Hi Van Pass and visit Marble Mountain on the way.

Except for the weather, we have really enjoyed Hue. The people here are friendlier than Saigon and the street vendors will readily take no for an answer. The staff at the Orchid have been fantastic. Bed turn down service and chocolates each night, fresh fruit delivered to the room each day and the towel origami all for $US52 per night for 3 people!

See you all in Hoi An!