South East Asia Summer 2009: July 2009

This is Hue, the former capital of Vietnam, about half way up the coast between Hoi Ann and Hanoi. Hue was occupied by a series of emporers who ruled Vietnam, mostly in name only, from 1807 to 1945. The majority of the city resides within the walls of a citadel. The core of the city is completely surrounded by giant walls, 20 ft high, 6 feet thick. There are 8 gates allowing folks to come in and out. Within the walled city is a second walled compound, a citadel within a citadel, that was reserved for the emporers and there staff. It is this area that draws visiters. . . . Unfortunately the enclosure was heavily bombed during what folks here call the American War. Only 28 of its 148 buildings survived. Hue traded hands several times during the war. What's left is open to the public. The Vietnamese are in the very long process of trying to restore the compound to its original state. All things considered they are doing a great job. Its going to take a hell of alot of time and work. The imperial enclosure is huge. It takes a better part of a day to see it all. Its already amazing and if they ever do actually finish everything it will be a trully awesome place.

The entrance to the Imperial Enclosure:

Looking out from the roof of the entrance gate:

Inside:

Exploring Hue:

While checking out these old American weapons captured in the war I met a moto-taxi driver named Thinh (pronounced tin.) He just happened to be there, hanging around with his moterbike. Assuming that I didn't know much about the war he explained that they were American weapons and that the war lasted untill 1975. Turned out he had quite a story. His home was destroyed and his father was killed by American soldiers in 1972 when he was 11 years old. He was living in a public market with his mother where Buddhist monks would come by offering people prayers and whatever help they could. His mother, unable to provide for him, asked the monks to take care of him. He ended up living at a pogoda and studying Buddhism for the next eleven years. When he asked me where I was from and I said America he, to my surprise, seemed pleasantly surprised. He told me that his teacher at the pagoda was now living in California and had once met with Martin Luther King jr, who later nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. It all sounded hard to believe, but I didn't feel like I was being lied to. He seemed very sincere. He offered to come pick me up the following morning and, for a small price, show me around the area. . . . I accepted and it was awesome.