A few days back we booked for a day tour to Hue and our van came exactly at 7.30am to our villa and then it came to My Khe Beach to pick another 6 more tourists for the tour. Our tourist guide was a charming and soft spoken girl we could apprehend her English though half the the time she was speaking Vietnamese. A Japanese tourist was assisted by his local friends.
We were stopped at Lang Co Beach and visited a pearl outlets. A chance to learn a bit of Vietnamese pearls. We did not take the scenic Van Hai Pass over the range but we used the Van Hai Tunnel instead. It is the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia with a distance of 6.3km.
Our first touristic spot was Emperor Khai Dinh graveyard and it is not an ordinary graveyard but a huge one. It could be a palace instead of a tomb and it is located up a hill near Hue.
The main entrance of the 12th King of Nguyen Dynasty's tomb with large dragons welcoming visitors. From the tourist guide's commentary this King Khai Dinh doesn't seem to be a popular King. Apparently he have taxed the people a lot and build this grand tomb for himself and it took 11 years to complete it.
The middle portion before ascending to the main tomb site.
The design of this structure is basically a mixture of Oriental and European touches as the French had a great influence in it, in fact the Emperor's was sort of under its payroll.
Jo together with the 12 bodyguards of the King.
A sketch of the mausoleum on the hill slope.
Next spot was Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue, it has 7 storey and is the highest religion building in Vietnam sitting at the nothern bank of River Perfume.
Back then the 1st Nguyen Lord came to the site one day and heard a prophecy that a great person would come to this hill and build a temple to pray for the prosperity of the country. Hence it was the order of him to build this pagoda.
The pagoda has gone through many events of destruction during the American war. Luckily it is still existing after going through through renovation and restoration. It is now an icon of Hue. A must visit site of Hue.
There is an exhibit of an old car in which a monk by the name of Thich Quang Duc rode from his temple to Saigon on June 11, 1963. He stepped out of the car in an intersection, sat down in the lotus position, and burned himself to death in protest against the regime's violations of religious freedom.
Looking down towards the River Perfume.
5 Vietnamese and 1 Japanese were among us in the day trip. Some of them worked in Johor Bahru before and had the chance to practice their Bahasa Malaysia. It was nice meeting these friendly people and let's have our lunch.
I like the lunch very much, it was sumptuous and delicious.
Phouc Thanh Garden Restaurant located at Pham Ngu Lao Street, Hue (GPS : 16.469338, 107.594502) is a popular and great place to eat.
A little shopping at an outlet as per the tour itinerary, we got to know some of Vietnamese produce and mostly dried food stuffs.
Samples of tidbits as food tasting before engaging ourselves in the purchase.
Hue Imperial Palace was the last visit of the itinerary.
Here we were at the walled palace within the citadel of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. We started the tour from the South Gate or the Meridian Gate which is the main gate.
The Flag Tower of the citadel could be seen from far as you are approaching the palace and it is also facing the South Gate.
Walking through the Gate of Supreme Harmony into the Imperial Court.
Striking red coloured tall doors at the palace, I like this big red corner. There are still many old buildings at the rear and there are still room for further restoration. Inscripted by UNESCO in 1993.
The bronze vessels at the palace, some treat them as wishing vessels by putting coins into them and some said the water are supposed to use when there is fire. Anyway these 17th century items are one of the main features in the palace.
Hien Nhon Gate is the east entrance to the forbidden city used by the members of the elite group or men only. It is made finished up of porcelain pieces and restored during King Khai Dinh's time. We took this exit and that was bye bye to Hue Imperial Palace.
That was it, a day in Hue seeing some of its touristic spots and a little knowledge of this ancient city called Hue. And off we went back to Danang where we will be flying back to Kuala Lumpur on the following day.
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