The Overnight Train
Our trip to Hué (it rhymes with way in case you didn't get that) was a night I am never gonna forget--because it was the weirdest! When we first boarded the overnight train, our cart was empty with 3 beds lining each side of the cart. When we walked in we looked down into our empty cart to see BUGS crawling around on our beds and along the walls. It was so gross. We turned on a speaker and whipped out a deck of cards to distract ourselves until we were ready for bed. About midnight we finally decide to lay down and go to sleep, but not 15 minutes later our cart door opens and a group of 30 year old Vietnamese men were staring into our cart and yelling down the hall to other people.
After a few awkward minutes of this, they flipped on the lights and pushed in their luggage with boxes of beer and filed themselves in! They pushed our legs up and hopped on the already tiny bed one-by-one! All of a sudden there were 4 people on my bed and on Hannah's bed across from me! Then a few crawled up on the beds above, and others pulled up chairs in the hall! They cracked open the beers and started chopping up fruit and passing out rice! They handed us each a beer and a piece of fruit and yelled vô! (Cheers in Vietnamese) They even brought in a baby that played on my bed! They stayed in our room drinking and eating for hours until about 2am! Then they got back up at 5-6am and flipped the lights back on and smoked cigs in the hallway. We got absolutely no sleep that night, but had the chance to live it up like some true Vietnamese people! We obviously decided to start the day with some nice lattes though!
Imperial Palace
After our coffees, we took off to the old imperial city, "Citadel," which is a walled off palace in Hué that was built in 1362. It took 203 years to complete the palace. Parts of the palace were destroyed during the American war, so they are still in the process of restoring the palace. Nonetheless, the ancient buildings and carvings left me awestruck. The red and gold picture below shows the emperor's throne. During the war, they were low on supplies and food in many parts of the country, so the emperor chose to eat only 2 meals a day to conserve for his people. It was super interesting to read all about the royal family and history of citadel along the walls, and to see so much amazing architecture throughout the palace walls!
Minh Mang's Tomb
After Citadel, we went to Emperor Minh Mang's Tomb. He was the 2nd monarch of the Nguyen Dynasty, who reigned for 21 years. The tomb was built in 1840 and it took 3 years to complete. The whole place is built strategically to be symmetric on all sides. There's a beautiful lake on each side with cows grazing gracefully in the trees. It was such a peaceful place and the buildings were beautifully detailed.
Tomb of Khai Dinh
This tomb was our favorite of the two! It was built from 1920 to 1931 taking 11 years to complete. The black and white exterior was absolutely captivating, while the interior completely stopped you in your tracks. It was crafted down to the most minor detail. Even on the ceiling one can find a truly exquisite painting overtop of the emperor's statue.
Hué was one of my favorite cities in Vietnam, simply due to the vast amounts of history you could find there! The city itself was quite calming. We had a candle light dinner by the river after our long day of exploring so many amazing sights! We only spent one day here and we off on a bus the next morning, but I still think we hit the best places while we were there! :)
