Monday 3 December: Hue

The entrance to the Imperial Citadel – the heart of Vietnamese culture

To come to Vietnam and not visit Hue would be a mistake. I think it is fair to say Hue is the cultural heart of Vietnam and there are some amazing expressions of that here. It used to be the capital of Vietnam and the most impressive feature is the Citadel, which is a walled enclosure on the northern side of the Perfume River. Ten kilometers of stone wall and moats protected the Imperial life that ruled Vietnam. Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty, founded in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long, lived here until 30 August 1945 when Ho Chi Minh forced the abdication of Bao Dai, the last emperor. At this time the French were in charge and had effectively neutered the power and influence of the Emperor. King Bao Dai was just a puppet of the colonialists. I visited Bao Dai’s summer palace in Da Lat. Unfortunately the Citadel, with all of its beautiful and significant cultural buildings, was badly effected by the wars. Most damage it seems was done in 1947 when Ho Chi Minh took on the French. The heart of the Citadel, the Imperial Enclosure, there for the private purposes of the Emperor, was completely destroyed. Further damage occurred during the American War when America heavily bombed the entire city of Hue to take back control…temporarily. On a brighter side, UNESCO is coordinating the reconstruction of this cultural icon. The Citadel is now Heritage listed. Young Vietnamese are learning and applying important traditional skills to bring this place back to its former glory. Wood carvers, painters and builders are hard at work. The reconstructions are just stunningly beautiful and a credit to these new skillfull practitioners.

The famous National School where Ho Chi Minh and other influential Vietnamese spent time

I walk back across the Perfume River to visit another important institution. It’s the National School and is famous for producing some very influential people. Ho Chi Minh spent a year here in 1908. General Vo Nguyen Giap who famously defeated the French to end their 100 year rule studied here as did Prime Minister of Northern Vietnam Pham Van Dong. It’s one of the most famous secondary schools in Vietnam and enrolling there is very competitive. The School was built by the French in the 1890s I think and the facilities have that typical timeless French architecture. The buildings are beautiful and primed to inspire anyone who spends time here.

Walking back to my hotel a pas the Hue University. A Vietnamese is in the entrance on his bike and says hello. We strike up a conversation and he is waiting to pick up his daughter but is an hour early. He has time to kill. He has family in Queensland, an aunt in Brisbane and an uncle in Roma of all places. He is amazed I know where Roma is. Lee is his name and he buys me lunch. He tells me he is planning a ceremonial party tonight to wish all of his Australian family and friends well. He needs to buy wine so I offer to pay. His choice of wine was more than I thought I would be paying but what the heck – he is also blessing my father and family as well. So Family, consider yourselves blessed for a long and happy life by Lee and his family. Lee also has a different plan for my lack of marital status. He can set me up with a Vietnamese lady in Australia!

After a walk-around I finally find a place with strong wifi for uploading these blogs. For nearly a week I haven’t been able to publish my blogs. I was constipated with backed-up blogs! I hadn’t been able to access FaceBook either but nobody seemed too concerned! Feeling a little unloved but I’ll get over it…in time…after much therapy. I don’t understand wifi at all!