Hué and around travel guide

Background

Hué was the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam between 1802 and 1945. For the first time in Vietnamese history a single court controlled the land from Yunnan (southern China) southwards to the Gulf of Siam. To link the north and south (more than 1500 km), the Nguyen emperors built and maintained the Mandarin Road (Quan Lo), interspersed with relay stations. Even in 1802, when it was not yet complete, it took couriers just 13 days to travel between Hué and Ho Chi Minh City, and five days between Hué and Hanoi. If they arrived more than two days late, couriers were punished with a flogging. There cannot have been a better road in Southeast Asia nor a more effective incentive system.

Although the Confucian bureaucracy and some of the dynasty’s technical achievements may have been remarkable, there was continued discontent and uprisings. Court was packed with scheming mandarins, princesses, eunuchs and scholars.

In 1883 a French fleet assembled at the mouth of the Perfume River and opened fire. After taking heavy casualties, Emperor Hiep Hoa sued for peace and signed a treaty making Vietnam a protectorate of France. As French influence over Vietnam increased, the power and influence of the Nguyen waned. The undermining effect of the French presence was compounded by significant schisms in Vietnamese society. In particular, the spread of Christianity was undermining traditional hierarchies. Although the French and then the Japanese found it to their advantage to maintain the framework of Vietnamese imperial rule, the system became hollow and, eventually, irrelevant. The last Nguyen Emperor, Bao Dai, abdicated on 30 August 1945.

During the 1968 Tet offensive, Viet Cong soldiers holed up in Hué’s Citadel for 25 days. The bombardment which ensued, as US troops attempted to root them out, caused extensive damage to the Thai Hoa Palace and other monuments. During their occupation of Hué, the NVA forces settled old scores, shooting, beheading and even burning alive 3000 people, including civil servants, police officers and anyone connected with, or suspected of being sympathetic to, the government in Ho Chi Minh City.

Best time to visit

Hué has a reputation for bad weather. Rainfall of 2770 mm has been recorded in a single month. The rainy season runs from September to January and rainfall is particularly heavy between September and November; the best time to visit is therefore between February and August. However, even in the ‘dry’ season an umbrella is handy. Temperatures in Hué can also be pretty cool in winter, compared with Danang, Nha Trang and other places to the south, as cold air tends to get bottled here, trapped by mountains to the south. For several months each year neither fans nor air-conditioning are required.

Getting around

For the city itself, walking is an option, interspersed, perhaps, with the odd cyclo journey. However, most guesthouses hire out bicycles and this is a very pleasant and slightly more flexible way of exploring Hué and some of the surrounding countryside. A motorbike makes it possible to visit many more sights in a day. Cyclos are pleasant for visiting the more central attractions. Xe ôm are a speedier way to see the temples.

Getting to and around the Imperial Tombs is easiest by motorbike or car as they are spread over a large area. Most hotels and cafés organize tours either by minibus, bike or by boat. Sailing up the Perfume River is the most peaceful way to travel but only a few of the tombs can be reached by boat so xe ôm wait at the riverbank to take passengers on to the tombs. All the tombs are accessible by bicycle but you’ll need to set out early. It is also possible to go on the back of a motorbike taxi. Further details are given for each tomb.

Ins and outs

Getting there

Hué’s Phu Bai airport is a 25-minute drive from the city. There are daily connections with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam Airlines runs a bus service in to town which costs 30,000d; a taxi costs 125,000d. The railway station is more central. The trains tend to fill up, so advance booking is recommended, especially for sleepers.

Hué

Banks

Incombank, 2A Le Quy Don St, daily 0700-1130, 1330-1700, closed Thu afternoon. Vietcom Bank, 78 Hung Vuong St, 0700-2200. ATM to left of La Résidence hotel.

Medical services

Hué General Hospital, 16 Le Loi St, T054-382 2325.

Post office

8 Hoang Hoa Tham St; 91 Tran Hung Dao, daily 0630-2130.