(Bun-bo-hue-oo). Porque mi vida yo la prefiero vivir asi. We awoke early in the morning to board the bus to Huế, home of Vietnam’s Imperial City and former capital of Vietnam. We had heard horror stories of Vietnam buses from our fellow traveler friends, Nick and Shannon, so we were rightly nervous about the one we were about to board. Whatever it was going to be like, it was only going to be that way for 4 hours, so we felt we could bear it.
Our bus arrived at the hotel promptly and we were pleasantly surprised: it was a regular (and clean) mini-bus. No problem, we can do this! However, we soon found out that the mini-bus was just the bus to take us to the real bus, which was a little outside the city center. We were dropped off in a dirt field where a tour bus awaited our arrival. As we headed up the stairs into the bus, we were both struck at the oddity before us. The double-decker bus was split length-wise into 3 sections with 2 aisles between. In each section was a reclinable, cushioned vinyl seat that had a hard plastic covering for your legs. They were like bunk lounge chairs on a bus. So weird! A blanket and pillow were provided for your comfort. The seats were perfectly sized for me, but Shiv was a bit cramped. Again, the cleanliness wasn’t really apparent, so we used our own articles of clothing for cover.
The drive was actually quite scenic with greenery everywhere. We drove through the Marble Mountains, a cluster of marble and limestone hills, which were also very picturesque. After about 4 hours, we arrived at a parking lot where a cluster of men were vying for our taxi business. Taxis, we had read, are a tricky thing in Vietnam since some will install rigged meters. The recommended companies of Vinasun and Mai Linh worked well for us (most of the time.) In this case, we hopped into the kelly-green Mai Linh taxi to our hotel, The Orchid Hotel.
After freshening up a bit and gladly welcoming the San-Francisco-esque weather, we headed out to Lac Thien restaurant for a traditional Huế lunch. Food in this area was markedly different than any Vietnamese food I had ever eaten. The textures and flavors were slimy, crunchy, herbal, and sweet. We ate banh beo, a small, steamed rice pancake with flavorful toppings of scallions, shrimps, and shallots. We also ate what I coined a Vietnamese taco, or banh khoai, which is a crispy, folded pancake filled with egg, shrimp, bean sprouts, and herbs. In short, Huế food was good to try once, but we much preferred steamy bowls of pho.
Bellies full, we headed off to the Imperial City, the seat of the Nguyễn dynasty from the 17th – 19th centuries. The Imperial City is a large walled fortress and palace, complete with a moat. Construction began in 1804 and continued through the mid-1900s. The City contains several gates, courts, temples, gardens, pavilions and an inner Forbidden City, which only the members of the Nguyễn family could enter. It’s a huge area to explore and we spent about 4 hours in there.
Due to its central position between North and South Vietnam, Huế unwillingly became involved in the Vietnam War in 1968. The Viet Cong seized the city for 24 days and tortured, slaughtered, and, in some cases, buried alive around 4,000 Vietnamese. American forces initially didn’t use force when trying to retake the city in order to preserve the historical buildings. After hearing reports about the massacres, however, the restrictions were relaxed and a lot of the city was bombed and leveled. I should also mention here that the Massacre of Huế is entirely unrecognized in the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which gives you a sense of the bias I spoke about earlier.
As a UNESCO site, the Imperial City is in the process of being restored. My favorite part were the long corridors of deep red doors with golden accents, one after another. If I didn’t know where I was, I would have said China because the aesthetics are so similar. Obviously, this makes sense given the history and location of Vietnam, but I struggled to discern the difference. What I really enjoyed learning about was daily royal lifestyle, from the garments they wore to learning the numerous societal rules for proper decorum. There was also some juicy gossip offered at the museum on the lords – favorite concubines, homosexuality rumors, drug addictions, and paternity issues. Like reading OK! Magazine for Vietnamese lords. Rumors aside, the grounds were serene and pretty, you just had to use your imagination to fill in the holes where the war took over.
On the walk back to our hotel, we crossed the Perfume River. It had been a long time since we had Indian food, so we made that our choice for dinner that night.
The next day, we got up early to experience another traditional Huế food, bún bò Huế, which is pronounced bun-bo-whoway. This prompted me to start singing the Gipsy Kings’ song, Bamboleo, as bun-bo-whoway-o, bun-bo-whoway-ah. Which made it the official song of eating bún bò Huế. Try it – you’ll see. Careful, it gets stuck in your brain. Anyways, bò means beef in Vietnamese, so this is Huế’s take on beef pho. And yes, pho is a breakfast food! The noodles are a bit thicker, the broth is spicier, and the predominant flavor is lemongrass. A Gipsy King might say que sabrosa!
We hired a driver to take us to the Imperial tombs, which are just outside of the city. A bit more inconvenient to get to, but conveniently outside of bombing range. We saw two: Minh Mang’s and Khai Dinh’s.
As a leader, Minh Mang was generally regarded as just and in touch with his people. As such, he was a much revered leader. His tomb area is known for its symmetry, but what struck me more was how well all of the gates, bridges, temples, and buildings blended harmoniously with the beautiful landscape around them. It was as if the man-made structures were meant to be there and, perhaps, were there all along. Walking around the lake and watching butterflies, I realized that I hadn’t felt this kind of quiet peacefulness on the trip since the day we went to the pagoda in Thailand. Southeast Asia has definitely nailed tranquility.
After spending a good hour at Minh Mang’s tomb, we hopped back into the car to head to Khai Dinh’s tomb, which was built from 1920 to 1931. Emporer Khai Dinh was not as beloved as his predecessor, Minh Mang. Increasing taxes by 30% to fund his own tomb construction, Khai Dinh’s tomb is not surprisingly over-the-top. A blend of Eastern and Western styles, I thought it looked like a gothic take on Chinese imagery. The entrance gates are tall and dark with grand steps that lead to a courtyard decorated with googley-eyed dragons. I couldn’t help but chuckle…how do I not laugh at giant stone dragons with ceramic googley eyes?! Are these for real?
The main tomb building is separated into three rooms. The walls of the first room are covered with really beautiful glass and porcelain mosaic designs. And if I thought the first room was grand, the middle room, which houses Khai Dinh’s coffin, took the mosaics to a whole other level. Tinier and more intricate in design, the mosaics covered everything in the room. A stage with a lifesize bronze statue that was cast in his likeness (in France, of course) is the top of Khai Dinh’s grave. I stood in that room for a long time with my mouth agape, forcing my eyes to take in all the elaborate intricacies of the room. Talented work and design, but bordering on the edge of gaudy.
There were many other tombs to see, but we chose to see the two best. We both felt like that was the right amount, actually. We headed back to the hotel to collect our stuff and go on another overnight train, this time headed to Hanoi.
All aboard!
