"Gooooooooood mooooooooorning, Vietnam"- These words by Robin Williams rang in my head as I woke at about 4.00am ( Vietnam time ) that Monday morning. It was already going to bright and sunny as the orangery rays of the sun hit the outer layer of clouds over the horizon. I guess, it is not that I can't sleep any longer but I was excited to the program of the day. As I browsed the Net over Ancient City of Hue, I heard a muffled and gruffed voice, "Go to sleep, dear! It is not even morning yet!" Guess, the wifey is right this time but I just wanted to know a little bit more of the historical places we would be going. After a few minutes, I laid my head and rested once again.
 |
| The entrance of the Imperial City |
Soon, the rumbling and grumblings in the tummy awakened the very old soul of mine signalling a need for breakfast. A quick shower, a dash of Man City cologne by Dashing , I felt all ready for breakfast and champion of the day! Breakfast in Cherish Hotel was simply marvelous. A great wide spread of bread, fruits, cold cuts, meats, spaghetti, egg yolk rice, noodles, yogurt, fresh juices and a host of great foods were indeed a pleasing pleasure to the eyes and the stomach too! The coffee was fantastic and I really enjoyed it.
 |
| Entrance of Imperial City |
We spent many hours at breakfast together as our program starts at 9.00am and we are at the breakfast table by 7.00am - two solid hours to pig out before we burnt those calories! Yes ! Burn baby burn, burn those calories we did! Yessireee, we did ! We did not eat gluttonously but we certainly "makan kau -kau" to sustain our walking spree for that day. I tell you, we walked as though there is no tomorrow that day! Anyway, we had checked out of our hotel as we would be travelling to Hoi An in the evening after finishing our tour of Hue later in the day.
Tuan met up at 9.00am sharp that morning and explained our itinerary of the day. Everyone was excited and our very first place of interest is the Imperial City of Hue. The Imperial City or known as Hoang thanh in Vietnamese is a walled palace within the citadel ( Kinh Thanh ) of the city of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. The First Emperor of Vietnam, Nguyen Anh took control of Vietnam in 1789 and proclaimed himself Emperor Gia Long ( unified North and South Vietnam ). Built in 1804, the Imperial City housed the Citadel Gate/ Meridien Gate, Gate Tower, Throne Hall, Gate of Manifest Benovelence, Purple Forbidden City, Pavilion of Splendour, Pleasure Garden, Inner Court, Royal Canal, Outer Court, Temple Court and Places of Worship. It faced the south east of Perfume River for feng shui. Such a grand place indeed! We walked and walked and walked...
It was like endless walking fun with no end in sight. The historical , rich in culture and fascinating fact of the Imperial City just explodes your mind, actually,
 |
| The Citadel |
They are very Chinese in customary ways and in culture too. The public courtyard is really huge while the Imperial City is very much like a city within a city only for the King's pleasure. Vietnam was ruled by 13 Emperors and they are known for different various reasons. Some are good while some are not good. The shortest reign of an Emperor was Duc Duc, 5th Emperor, who ruled for 3 days and deposed by court officials. Then he was replaced by Emperor Hiep Hoa who ruled for 4 months before being deposed by court official and forced to commit suicide!
 |
| Throne Hall |
Emperor Khai Dinh, the 12th Emperor was the most lavish with his tomb building. The tomb is the most extravagant tomb ever and needed 11 years to be built. So lavished was the tomb that taxes had to be solicited to built his tomb causing a furore among his people. He died a drug addict and tuberculosis at the Purple Forbidden City in Hue. The last & 13th Emperor was Bao Dai who handed over the power and imperial insignia of the Royal seal and sword to Viet Minh in 1945 ending the Royal Nguyen rule in Vietnam. What a history, right?
 |
| The walkway to the hall |
The Imperial City was really very impressive. The carvings, the architecture and the decorations were all genuinely beautiful and artistically done. The wooden pillars , though simple, was thoroughly treated well to last for many years while the cut granite stones flooring were laid beautifully. The Emperor Throne Hall is magically simple yet grand in feeling. The throne seat was small yet grand in many ways. The ceiling of the throne was wonderfully sculptured and layered in height. Then it was off to other parts of the palatial domains.
 |
| Pleasure Garden |
 |
| Emperor's mother home |
 |
| Large courtyard |
 |
| Temples and court yard |
 |
| One of the gates..... |
 |
| The Royal Conference Hall area together with the Emperor's chambers which were destroyed due to fight of the South and North vietnamese war |
 |
| One of the gates ...our exit |
The Emperor's list of 13 emperors and what they did were adorned at the palatial walls as one walks towards the inner courts. There was even a special beautifully carved out wooden board whereby names of successful subjects who passed the royal exams are pinned up. The so-called inner conference hall for the Emperor and his high ranking officials was completely damaged by the wars between the South and North Vietnam wars. Of course, we could not resist wanting to see the wife, wives, consorts and concubines chambers but Tuan told us that most of it were completely damaged by the wars....or he was trying to not let us see the secrets of the rooms......rumours has it that there were many passageway for the Emperor to get to the various chambers even to the concubines...hmmmmmnnnnnnnnnn... very hush hush indeed!
 |
| Thien Mu Pagoda |
We then proceeded to Thien Mu Pagoda a.k.a Linh Mu Pagoda or sometimes known as Pagoda of the Celestial Lady ,near Ha Khe Hill, northern banks of the Perfume River. The iconic 7 storey pagoda is often regarded as the unofficial symbol of the city and subject of folk rhymes and Vietnamese literature. Built in 1601 by Gen. Nguyen Hoang who was the governor of Hue at that time. This was the place where Buddhism first took its place in Vietnam. This was the place where we were told of the story of the Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc who sat in a lotus position and set himself ablaze in protest of killings of Buddhist monks by South Vietnamese armies in 1963. The Austin car in which the Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc was driven in is on display in a shed. What a story!
 |
| At the entrance of Tu Duc Tomb...... |
 |
| The scenery |
 |
| The island whereby the Emperor would recite poems and get inspiration. |
 |
| The Temple Area |
 |
| The ornate temple wood doors and ceiling |
 |
| The Tomb Area...trouble is , no one knows where the Emperor is buried! |
Our next destination was the Tomb of Tu Duc or known Khiem Tomb, the 4th Emperor of Vietnam. We were told that this was a self-sin confessing Emperor. It took 3 years to build this tomb and it is divided into Temple Area and Tomb Area. It is sited on a very lush, windy and lovely setting with an small island and hut in the middle of the tomb area. There is a pavilion facing the lake and known as Du Khiem Pavilion. Tuan told us that this Emperor loves poetry and likes to relax at this place-praying. The vast area says it all, actually. As we walked along towards the temple building, it was really nice to see the preserved architecture and there is even an area you can rent costumes to play "King for the Day ". For me, I would rather save my VND in my wallet as sweaty and shinning face doesn't make me look good as an Emperor!
Anyway, despite all the grandeur of the place, no one knows where the Emperor was buried! Word has it that the 200 labourers who buried the King were beheaded after they returned from burying the King at a secret location. It is tough being a mortician and tomb worker those days, huh?
 |
| Entrance to Khai Dinh Tomb in Chau Chu Mountain, Hue. |
On with the show and our last place of interest was Tomb of Khai Dinh or known as Ung Mausoleum located in Chau Chu Mountain. This was the tomb of the 12th Emperor and one of the most elaborate, extravagant and pricey tomb. It was told that public funds had to be solicited to built the tomb and this cause a uproar and furore among the people. It took 11 years to be completed. It is a blend of Western and Eastern architecture. There is a statue of the Emperor likeness casted in Marseilles. The staggered staircase were rather interesting as far as I was concerned but the blistering hot day doesn't make it an easy for all of us.
 |
| Second flight of steps to Khai Dinh Tomb |
 |
| Third flight of steps and area to Khai Dinh Tomb....the grand architecture |
 |
| The accompanying granite soldiers and scholars |
 |
| The extravagant Khai Dinh Tomb |
 |
| Look at the carved and porcelain laid walls..... |
 |
| The Emperor like statue and the tomb area. |
 |
| Our ladies posing with the porcelain walls |
 |
| The majestic ceiling lamp |
But alas, when you reached the top, it is the most impressive Vietnamese emperor tomb you can ever imagine. The artifacts, the architecture and the pottery porcelain pieces on the walls were beautiful. Luckily, there was a nice breeze and coolers to make this trip up such a nice one. Coming down the tomb hall, Tuan showed us the very tunnel where the Emperor's coffin was pushed through and sealed forever to deter raiding of the tomb. I tell you, our guide , Tuan is such an informative guide indeed!
 |
| Chinh Hieu shop - best bun bo in Hue! |
 |
| Banana heart shreds, mint, salad, bean sprouts, basil and lime accompanying condiments |
 |
| The star - bun bo |
 |
| The two-tone coconut jelly with coconut flesh rim |
It was a quick stop at the Dong Ba Market just to get a feel of the market built by the French. There wasn't much except for a variety of seafood fare and food stuff for sale. The front section was for the sale of daily products. Soon, our stomach rumblings started again and it was time for lunch. Tuan told us that he has a treat for us. After some twist and turns of road , we were at Chinh Hieu shop selling Bun Bo - soupy noodles and the rest of the good stuff as Tuan would put it. We took in Tuan's advice for Bun bo special and his recommendation was a sure hit and AAA plus rating. The bowl of noodle goodness comes with beef slices, a chunk of pork meat, a great ball of crab meat and a good ball of chicken meat . The taste - fantastically heavenly! None to compare, actually. Accompanied by fresh mint, basil, salad, parsley and lime, nothing beats having this dish at all. It's all happening here in Hue, man! To top the wonderful lunch off, we have two tone coconut jelly with real coconut flesh surrounding it! What a lunch!
 |
| Hainanese Association in Hoi An |
We were off to Hoi An next after finishing our ground tour in Hue. It was really educational and historically rich theme indeed. It was a long drive and most of us rested along the journey. Never could get used to left hand side driving and it seemed more dangerous but steely driving by Khanh definitely made our day indeed. Before long, we reached Hoi An, the ancient city. As it was still daylight like in the early evening, we decided to take a walk along the old town of Hoi An. Looked very much like Jonker Walk , Melaka. The very first place I saw was the Hainan Assembly Hall. Hey, my clan is here too. As it was evening, I ventured into the Hainan Assembly Hall together with Richard.
We were met by this plumpish Vietnamese fella who claimed to be the guardian/night watchman of the Hainan Assembly Hall and the Teochew Assembly Hall up the street. He was telling me of why the Hainanese community fled Hoi An and I felt kinda sad la a bit... As far as I know, Hainanese would not run away from any fight but I guess, every one has got their own economic reasons for doing so. I got a glance of what the association is all about and how beautifully built the building was. It was the same as the other Chinese associations or assembly hall as they are known here.
Dinner was at Khong Cam Zuan Restaurant tucked in the quaint, dingy lighted place in Hoi An. I thought we would be led in some small place for dinner but alas, it was a nicely lighted up and bustling restaurant indeed. We ordered house tofu, chicken dish, vegetables and a hot pot. Lovely, lovely food or is it because our stomachs were hungry....Wouldn't know the difference but the Larue beer ( Vietnamese beer ) tasted awfully nice for the taste bud that evening. As usual, Tuan was the one who picked out our dinner and yet he did not join us for dinner. I guess, it was customary for guides not to join the guests for dinner or lunch. Yeah, he was always declining to join us for food but I guess, it was just good manners not to do so despite us insisting he joins us. Our beer lasted so good as we had another round of beers together with the good food.
 |
| The restaurant |
 |
| At the Lobby of Lantana Hotel |
After dinner , we checked into Lantana Boutique Hotel in Hoi An, near the ancient city of Hoi An. The hotel is lovely and with olden themed toilet facilities and nice spacious room. We had our usual welcoming drink of passion fruit and a nice cold perfume towel. The service was excellent and I really like it here, I was told that there are only 34 rooms available and it was really nice. Again, soft pillows. lush big beds and great facilities were the order of the day. This hotel will be our accommodation for the next two nights and I am enjoying it already. Wow! There was even nice new slippers for us to wear to get out of the hotel!
 |
| Our hotel for the next few days |
 |
| Front view of our hotel, Lantana Boutique Hotel... |
After washing up, I stayed up a bit to do my sketch of my own rendition of Hue that had captivated my imagination. Oh! I must not forget to say that I had my first taste of Vietnam coffee through their high class outlet Highland Coffee and banh mi in Hue earlier on Sunday evening. I also tried imagining how the Vietnamese can survive any accident at a roundabout with no traffic lights and no policeman in sight! Traffic marvel indeed!
I dozed off while doing my sketch that night..... after a while, I switched off the light and crawled to the comfort of my bed. Good night, Hoi Ann. See you in the morning!
No comments:
Post a Comment