When eager travellers arrive in Vietnam, they usually have a familiar list of places that they are determined to visit - Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa and maybe Ninh Binh.
When eager travellers arrive in Vietnam, they usually have a familiar
list of places that they are determined to visit - Ho Chi Minh City,
Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa and maybe Ninh Binh.
One name that
usually doesn't crop up immediately is Hue, the former imperial
capital, which despite its rich tradition and heritage has mostly been
used by tourists as a mere stopping point midway through their journey.
Recently, however, things have started to change and Hue
is making a name for itself as a tourist destination in its own right.
In Hue, coffee shops and restaurants are surrounded by
crumbling citadel walls that have stood firm through many conflicts – a
visual reminder of the city's inimitable history and culture.
Long-term residents value Hue for its peaceful and quiet way of life,
which can be quite hard to come by in a country as fast moving and often
chaotic as Vietnam.
Often it is the little things that
are savoured the most. There is nothing quite comparable to the simple
pleasures of drinking a cold Huda (Vietnam's finest beer) on the banks
of the Perfume River, drinking ca phe sua (Vietnam's finest milk-coffee)
on a floating bamboo platform surrounded by lotus flowers, or drinking a
supremely refreshing nuoc mia (sugarcane juice – Vietnam's finest
refreshment) in the shadow of the impressive Notre Dame Cathedral.
Indeed, almost all free time in Hue is spent drinking something.
The Hue people are well adapted to this inevitable state of
affairs by now and continue with their daily lives with good humour.
Expats in Hue seldom feel the same way. Those who brave the rainy
season are rewarded when April arrives along with the sunshine, and the
city transforms from beautiful, misty, rain soaked Hue to beautiful,
resplendent, colourful Hue .
The city has a justifiably
excellent reputation for food, a legacy of the Nguyen kings who were
famously fussy eaters. The Vietnamese dishes here are mouth-wateringly
good and beautifully presented, but be warned – the Hue people have a
preference for spicy meals so tourists should be prepared!
For travellers who would prefer some home comforts, there is something
for almost everybody (Hue boasts good Indian, Korean, Japanese,
French, Italian and Mexican restaurants among others) with good quality
food and reasonable prices.
Sample the real Hue by singing
with friends at one of the numerous karaoke places, haggling at Dong Ba
Market, or sailing down the river on a swan boat and watching the sun
set. Experiences here can often range from the sublime to the
ridiculous, but they all linger long in the memory.
Hue might
not be as vibrant or fast paced as Hanoi or HCM City, but the people who
return here again and again for just one more ca phe sua on a lazy
afternoon wouldn't want it any other way.-VNA