Just a short three days after returning back to Sai Gon from Thailand, I found myself on another plane, this time flying towards Hue, in central Vietnam. I am now on my program’s “North and Central Regions Trip” which essentially means that I am on Fall break, which essentially means that this semester is almost halfway over. That is crazy cuckoo bananas. Though it makes me sad, I do miss being able to drink water from the tap.
This is our first big trip as an entire group, and so far, it has been wonderful. Traveling in larger groups can be difficult, but it also has its benefits, such as lots and lots and lots friends to do lots of fun things with. Our itinerary also gives us a fair amount of free time to split off into groups and just explore. We have just completed week one, of two, and I am beyond excited to see what is to come.
We started our trip by flying into Hue (pronounced hu-e’), Vietnam. Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors from 1802-1945. They were the last ruling family of Vietnam. During this time, Hue was considered to be the national capital of Vietnam, and so it is full of history that incorporates much Chinese influence, leading toward European influence and colonization in Vietnam. Thus, our trip to Hue was packed full of visits to historical sites.
We first visited the Minh Mang Tomb. Minh Mang was the second emperor in the Nguyen Dynasty. He died in 1841, and the construction of his tomb was finished in 1843. Visiting this tomb made me feel as if I had fallen headfirst into an ancient Asian fairytale. The tomb is set in a giant forest, surrounded by ponds and many gates and buildings. Everything is built in perfect symmetry, and landscaped beautifully. The general public cannot enter the actual tomb, but just wandering the grounds was fulfilling enough. Pictures honestly can’t do this place justice.
After the Minh Mang Tomb, we visited the Khai Dinh Tomb (lots of tombs for one day, I know). Khai Dinh was the twelfth king of the Nguyen Dynasty. His tomb was built from 1920-1931, taking eleven years to complete it. It is famous for its blend of Western and Eastern architecture, as Khai Dinh was known for working closely with the French government, making his reign a bit of a joke to the Vietnamese people. The outer architecture of this tomb reminded me a lot of an ancient medieval castle, whereas the inside reminded me a bit of Hearst Castle in California.
After finally checking into our hotel in Hue, and a quick street food lunch, we headed off to our next historical attraction; the Thien Mu Pagoda. This pagoda was built in 1601 and is known to be the tallest buddhist structure in Vietnam. This pagoda is still a working monastery and has been the focal point of much action during Vietnamese history. More recently, it was the meeting place of many anti-communist protests, and it also houses the famous Austin Motor Vehicle which was driven by Thich Quang Duc drove to his self-immolation in Ho Chi Minh City in 1963 to protest the Diem regime. The surrounding area around the pagoda is a beautiful, peaceful place planted with many ironwood trees and plumeria trees.
Next we headed over to our fourth and final sight seeing location (yes, it was a VERY long day); the Hue Citadel. The citadel was the former imperial city when Hue was the capital of Vietnam during the early 1800’s. The main area of the city is sometimes referred to as the Forbidden City, as it slightly resembles the Forbidden City in China. During the American/Vietnam War, more than 80% of the structures within the Citadel were damaged from bombings. We were visiting during the golden hour of the afternoon, so it made for beautiful photos, though we were all very tired and ready to head back to the hotel by the time we got there.
That evening, we went to Ganesh restaurant in Hue for dinner, finally satisfying my craving for Indian food. It was definitely one of the more expensive dinners that I have had during this trip, but it was 100% worth it. Hue itself, is very much so a city in stages of development. Everywhere you walk, there is construction going on, though still, it is much quieter than Ho Chi Minh City. The residents of Hue seem to understand that honking constantly is not a necessary way of life, and overall, the city was much less crowded. Though we spent very little time in Hue, I don’t necessarily feel the need to go back. Its main attractions are mostly just the historical sites that we saw on our first day.
The following day (I believe it was Friday), all packed into our bus for the three hour ride from Hue to Hoi An. The ride turned out to be much more interesting than I thought it was going to be, as central Vietnam is gorgeous. The drive passes over the Annamite mountain range, and thus over Hai Van pass where we got out of the bus for a bit to take in the views. On one side, you can see the winding road through the mountain, and on the other you can see the view of Da Nang beach. This windy road and pass have more recently become a tourist attraction for backpackers renting motorbikes to drive across Vietnam, resulting in many accidents.
Finally we arrived in Hoi An. Hoi An has been preserved as an “ancient Vietnamese town.” It is beautiful albeit very touristy, again something that is hard to escape in Southeast Asia. The main part of the town is built along a the Hoi An river whose banks are decorated with yellow buildings and many lanterns (something Hoi An is famous for). Hoi An also is very famous for tailoring, and about 90% of the stores are tailor shops. You can get pretty much anything you would like tailored, or made from scratch in Hoi An, for very affordable prices, though I did not end up taking advantage of this because I am a college student, and tend to be pretty cheap in my traveling. The upsides of Hoi An town are definitely the availability of beautiful souvenirs, the aesthetic of the town, and the food. The downsides are the peddlers everywhere. This became an apparent thing in much of central and northern Vietnam, the more we travelled through the areas; unlike in Ho Chi Minh City, people are less friendly, and when they are friendly to you, they are most likely trying to sell you something. It becomes a bit of a downer when you are just trying to explore, and you are constantly being approached. The highlight of our first day in Hoi An though, was the buffet dinner that Loyola planned and paid for. This was by far the best buffet that I have ever eaten at, as it had every kind of Vietnamese food that one could ever ask for, and the food was at top notch quality.
For our first full day in Hoi An, we went on a bike ride tour through the surrounding rice paddys to a farmhouse where we got to learn about Vietnamese farming, and cooking. On the way, we stopped and got to ride a water buffalo, owned by a Hoi An local, who also had a dog. The dog, the man, and the buffalo all were best friends, and the dog would swim next to the buffalo as he swam through the river. It was the cutest thing that I have ever seen. At the farm house, we learned that the locals use seaweed from the river to fertilize the ground where they grow herbs and such. We also got to learn how to make ban xeo (Vietnamese pancakes) in the way of central Vietnam. They are much smaller yet thicker than the ban xeo that we made in the Mekong Delta. I thought that they were more delicious. After the farmhouse and some resting time, we took another bike ride to a lantern making shop, where we got to make our own lanterns. We ended our day with a bike ride to Hoi An beach, and a stop at Phuong Bahn Mi, the most famous bahn mi place in Vietnam, and some drinks at Tiger Tiger bar. It was wonderful, and I definitely agree on the bahn mi’s being the best that I have had.
Sunday morning, we headed outside of Hoi An to the My Son sanctuary. The My Son Sanctuary, now a UNESCO site, is the home of the My Son ruins; a series of Hindu temples dating back to the 4th century built by the native Champa people as their spiritual capital. During the American/Vietnam War, the Viet Cong used the ruins as a hiding place because they didn’t believe that the Americans would want to destroy such a historical and sacred area. Of course, they were wrong, and much of the ruins were destroyed in bombings. The area around the ruins also was planted with unexploded mines, and so when visiting the site, visitors are required to stay in designated areas. The ruins closely resemble those of Angkor Wat, though much smaller and older. I felt like Laura Croft while exploring them. After touring the ruins, we were able to watch a traditional Champa dance and musical performance, it was very beautiful.
That afternoon, a group of us decided to drive over to Da Nang, the next town over from Hoi An. Da Nang is known for its limestone “mountains” and beaches, and is a popular vacation destination for local Vietnamese. We “hiked” up Marble Mountain, which really was more of a walk up a bunch of paved stairs, but once at the top, we were able to explore many caves and temples. I am not entirely sure when the temples were builtin the caves, or what they were used for, but it was still pretty cool, although more touristy than I had hoped. Afterward, took a dip in the ocean and spent some time on the beach. A perfect ending to a wonderful day.
The next day, we prepared to make our journey up to northern Vietnam. Since we were flying out of Da Nang airport, we drove from Hoi An to Da Nang a little bit early so as to spend some more time on the beach, and to get some coffee and lunch. Stay tuned for my post on our trip to the north!
Michaela Rabinov 
I feel like I am there with you as your descriptions are so vivid. Love the man, the dog and the water buffalo story!
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