Travelling through Vietnam – Hue

After our cruise in Halong Bay we headed to the airport to travel to Hue. We stopped on the way in a village of farmers.

 

Rizière
Rice field
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Les travaux dans les rizières
Rice field work
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Vietnam is the second largest rice producer in the world and rice fields are present everywhere. In the north, there are two harvests a year while in the south, they get three because of the more favorable climate. The village where we stopped was typical. We walked along the rice fields with mountains in the background and visited the cemetery with its elaborate monuments honoring deceased ancestors. We learned that in the North, they dig up the dead every three years to re-bury the remains to reduce the space and be able to add members of the same family to the plot.

 

Les monuments dans le cimetière
Monuments at the cemetery
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

We arrived in Hue late in the evening, our hotel located on one of the streets (Pham Ngu Lao) of the block that becomes pedestrian after 6 pm, there was still a lot of action. Hue is said to be one of the most important cultural and historical centers of Vietnam.

 

Bateaux dragon sur la rivière de parfum
Dragon boats on perfume river
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

The next morning, we walked to the Perfume River (Song Huong) to take a boat decorated with dragons. These boats shuttled between the city and Thien Mu pagoda, the oldest in Hue, built in 1601, where the young monks are trained. The gardens are so beautiful with the bonsai trees. We continued towards the Citadel, imperial city, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993, absolutely extraordinary even though some buildings were damaged during the last war and those of Indochina. A lot of restoration work is in progress.

 

Dans l’enceinte de La Citadelle, Temple The To Mieu dédié aux 10 empereurs de la dynastie Nguyen
The To Mieu temple dedicated to 10 emperors of the Nuguyen dynasty
Photo©Suzanne Bélair

 

Dans la cité impériale
Within the Imperial city
Photo©Suzanne Bélair

 

We continued our day with the visit of the Minh Mang Mausoleum. This complex is one of the most impressive of the seven royal tombs of the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty with its lakes, gardens and elaborate buildings.

 

L’opulence des jardins dédiés à Minh Mang
Opulence of gardens dedicated to Minh Mang
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

La tombe de Minh Mang est derrière cette porte
Minh Mang tumb is behind this door
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Hue is a vibrant city where we felt the joy of living wherever we went. Karaoke is very popular, especially among young men, and the memory of the war of 60-75 is omnipresent as everywhere else in Vietnam. Hue’s cafes are witness to this, with their furniture and decorations made from war relics.

 

Rue dédiée aux bars à Kareoké à Hue
Street of Kareoke bars in Hue
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Kareoké dans la rue à Hue
Kareoke in te street in Hue
Photo ©Dan Fafard

 

Reliques de guerre recyclées en décorations rue Pham Ngu Lao
War relics recycled as decorations on Pham Ngu Lao Duong
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Reliques de guerre recyclées en décorations rue Pham Ngu Lao
War relics recycled as decorations on Pham Ngu Lao Duong
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Also to see, the Dong Ba local market very busy in the early morning, quieter in the afternoon, but just as interesting.

Marché local Dong Ba sur la rive nord de la rivière de parfum
Dong Ba local market on the north shore of Perfume river
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

 

Marché local Dong Ba sur la rive nord de la rivière de parfum
Dong Ba local market on the north shore of Perfume river
Photo ©Suzanne Bélair

To be continued…

 

Follow me on Instagram

Web site Suzanne Bélair

www.facebook.com/SuzanneBelairArtist

Enviroart par Suzanne Bélair