Hue

First today, a visit to The Imperial Citadel in Hue. The Citadel is a walled fortress surrounded by a moat for protection. Inside the Citadel are numerous gates, courtyards and the Forbidden Purple City.

The Forbidden Purple City was constructed for the personal use of the Imperial Family, their concubines and eunuchs. It is being restored after many years of bombing by the Americans during the Vietnam War.

Next, a visit to a Traditional Garden House for what will surely turn out to be a highlight of this holiday.

We were welcomed by the resident of this property, Mr. Vinh Tu. An architect, he told us his family history and explained the design principle of the house. Garden houses are designed on feng shui principles including house orientation and water in the garden keeping the house cool in summer and warm in winter.

Part of the house tour included morning tea comprising tea, cakes and fresh fruit. We finished with a walk in the garden.

A little further along the road was our next stop - the ThienMu Pagoda. Dating back to 1601, it is Hue's oldest and most beautiful pagoda. It is considered the unofficial symbol of the city.

Across from the pagoda is a berth for dragon boats. We took one of these for a trip up the Perfume River back to the centre of town and lunch.
Lunch was Italian in a restaurant, Little Italy, next to our hotel.

We elected to stay at the hotel in the afternoon to do some sorting out.Read more