"Gooooood morning, Vietnam" from DaNang & Hue

March 19, 2024

Goooooood morning, Vietnam!

With the iconic words of Robin Williams aka Adrian Cronauer ringing in our heads, we arrived at DaNang this morning.  Though the movie is set in Saigon (which we will visit in a couple of days), there is a definite under current of anxious feelings as we dock today.  People are excited to visit this storied area, but when contrasted with the mix of emotions, feelings are close to the edge.  We will not talk about the war today, but instead give a glimpse into the places we visited.

It was a long tour today - 12 hours and almost 400 pictures!  Our guide's name was Tuan, and he was great! It was a two hour drive to Hue (pronounced "Whay").  It was the capital of Vietnam at various times throughout their history.  As we made our way through DaNang amid thousands of scooters, we crossed the famous Dragon Bridge.  At night it's lit up with colored lights!  We also drove along My Khe Beach, the beach that the TV show "China Beach" made popular.  Apparently there are snails on this beach that people collect and sell ($300,000 Dong for 1 kilo ... that is about $12.00 US dollars) - We notice so many businesses and shops that seemed to be all abiout karaoke, massage/nails and coffee!  They absolutely love coffee here.  Coffee and Bia (Beer) are their two favorite drinks!

As we drove on the National Highway through this very hot and very humid area, we saw water buffaloes, oyster farms and workers out in their rice paddies. We also passed the statue of the "Lady Buddha".  Who knew there was a she?!  Tuan told us lots of history of this area ... things about the importance of the National Highway and the Ho Chi Minh Trail that ran through the jungle here.  He told us that even today, landmines and unexploded bombs are still found.  The construction crews find them routinely.  Kind of scary ...

Our first stop today is Tu Duc's Royal Tomb.  Tu Duc was the longest-reigning emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty.  He died in 1883, and his tomb is the largest and most luxurious of all the royal tombs.  Complete with gardens, it is a tomb befitting an emperor, for sure.

Across the street from the Tomb were lots of vendors, all selling incense and other souvenirs.  We visited a shop that showed us how incense and the traditional conical hats called "non-la" were made.  The bundles of incense and arrangements of non-las made the photos Vi took absolutely beautiful.

Our lunch was Vietnamese-style at a beautiful restaurant called "Moc Vien" or "Sweet Olive Garden" - some of the prettiest photos taken all day were made here.  The lunch was delicious and for you beer lovers, the beer of the day was "Huda" - shown proudly below by our friend and tour host, our ever-thirsty Welshman! 

 

After lunch we boarded dragon boats and took a boat ride down the Huong River, literally the "Perfume River" - it runs through the city of Hue and is called that because of the flowers that were so fragrant along the shoreline.  Jasmine and N'au (same as we saw in Hawaii) are both found here in this lush, tropical area.  Our boat ride gave us some sights of traditional homes with people tending their gardens and washing their clothes along the river as well as new modern structures right alongside.  The ride lasted only as long as it took the merchants on board to sell their daily quota!

The boat dropped us off at the Thien Mu Pagoda, a revered Buddhist shrine.  It is the tallest building (70 ft) in Hue.  The city mandates that nothing can be built taller than it.  The pagoda was built in 1601 in the iconic octagonal shape, and is guarded by fearsome guards made of wood, but so detailed that they have real facial hair.  True that!  Most folks in Vietnam are Buddhist, but many are Catholic, too, due to the French Colonial presence from the days of yore.  There was a fantastic view of the Perfume River, and the gardens surrounding it were again gorgeous.  More temples and gardens, if you please ....

The highlight of the trip was really the biggest and best ... The Purple Forbidden City situated inside The Citadel.  As we crossed the moat, we saw the entrances, 3 in the middle and 2 larger ones on either side of the 3.  The middle one was for the Emperor only.  The one to the right for dignitaries and foreigners, the one to the left for solders.  But the two on either side of those were big, like RV big ... those were for the elephants!  We could see bullet holes in the walls as we entered.  Crazy history here.  

During the war, Allied forces were asked not to bomb the city because of the religious and cultural history, but as the war intensified, this request was ignored.  Today only 60 of the original 160 buildings remain.  This area was reserved only for the Emperor, his family, concubines and servants (just like the one in Beijing) - there's a pattern here.  

It is a UNESCO World Heritage site today.  A lot of the buildings are crumbling and black because of age and atmosphere.  What is there is incredible when you consider its history and age.  There are preservation concerns, cost being the primary factor.  

Our last stop of the day was Dong Ma Market - oh my goodness!  It was simply sensory-overload!  The sights and smells are so exotic and foreign!  Locals shop here as well as buses of tourists.  Souvenirs (think Buddhas, lots of Buddhas ... happy Buddhas, lucky Buddhas) are situated next to fruit and vegetable stalls next to prepared food stalls next to home appliance stalls next to clothing and shoe stalls!  Most have small make-shift altars in front of their business for good luck in business. We were all very tired, but as we walked through it, we really got a feel for how the locals live.  Some were eating their dinners, squatted on little plastic stools right in front of the stalls.  Pix are compliment of Izitours and Origin Vietnam. (Vi's camera ran out of batteries!)

As we made our way back to DaNang, night was setting in.  We were in traffic with thousands of scooters making their way home from work and school.  We saw scooters with 12 ft. trailers attached.  We saw scooters with entire families on board, Dad and Mom with 3 kids sandwiched between!  We saw ladies in business attire and heels, riding side-saddle.  Red, yellow and green lights are just suggestions, and people pretty much go when and how they want.  Pedestrians beware!

As we passed through the Dragon Bridge on the way back, we thought of all that has transpired here, and how upbeat and cosmopolitan things are now.  Times change, but people continue to be optimistic and forgiving.  Whether you call it the American War or the Vietnam War, we are all just trying to live our lives as best we can.  

Tam Biet.

Vi and LeRoy