2019 - Hue, Vietnam

6 Days Hue, Danang & Hoi An Adventure

04 - 09 July 2019

We joined a group of 22 persons from Melawati Gospel Centre, KL on this 6D5N tour of Hue, Danang and Hoi An in Vietnam. We booked our Air Asia ticket and got a local tour company in Vietnam to take care of the ground tour. The total package including air tickets, ground tour with accommodation, meals and tips come to about RM2,418 per person.

Day 1 - 4 July 2019

Flying at 10:30AM by Air Asia flight AK648 from KLIA2 and arriving at Danang International Airport at 12:05PM. Flight was smooth with slight turbulence along the way. Upon arrival we were picked up by the local tour guide and taken for lunch at a local restaurant.



Lunch with Vietnamese cuisine

After lunch we begin our journey to the historical town of Hue. On the way we passed the Hai Van Pass which is situated along the Hai Van mountainside. The most spectacular section spans 21 kilometers and comprises of a series of hairpin turns, steep inclines and breathtaking view. We stopped by some old bunkers that were used by the Americans during the war to take some pictures while enjoying the scenery.

Most of the bunkers are French but were also used by U.S. forces during the war as this was a very important piece of real estate due to the numerous convoys going between Da Nang and Hue.

 

An old bunker where soldiers used to hide behind the opening

 

Later we stopped by Lang Co beach for some pictures. Lang Co was recognized as one of the most beautiful bays in the world

Lang Co bay



We had a toilet break at one of the roadside café where we sipped Vietnamese coffee and young coconut water. Some of the ladies spent their time striking a bargain for pearls jewellery sold at the shop

 

 

 

We arrived in Hue around 6:30pm where we had our dinner before we checked into our hotel.

 

 

Our 4 Star hotel in Hue, the Eldora Hotel was the best during the tour. Its room was spacious and very comfortable and its breakfast was excellent with a mixture of Western and Vietnamese buffet spread.

 

 

The Deluxe City room in Eldora Hotel

Part of the salads and fruits section of the Eldora Hotel buffet breakfast spread

Day 2 - 5 July 2019

After the sumptuous breakfast in the hotel we visited the Dongba Market in Hue. The market sells various kinds of local produce. We bought a variety of nuts here, mainly cashew nuts, lotus seeds, macadamia nuts and coffee seeds and coffee mixtures.

Dong Ba Market is the oldest of its kind in Hue, with hundreds of stalls selling household items, handicrafts, clothing and fresh produce at affordable prices. Located on Tran Hung Dao Street, it occupies a large grey building along the northern bank of Perfume River.
 

Our next destination is the Khai Dinh Tomb. The Tomb of Khải Định, officially Ứng Mausoleum, is located in Chau Chu mountain near Huế in Vietnam. It was built for Khải Định, the twelfth Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. It was built from 1920 to 1931 taking 11 years to complete. The tomb is a blend of Western and Eastern architecture.



An aerial view of Khai Dinh Tomb

Despite being the smallest, Khai Dinh Tomb is the most recent and costly amongst other Nguyen royal tombs. Khai Dinh chose to build his tomb by modern materials like concrete, slates and wrought iron, hence its appearance is quite gray and imposing

The most notable place in Khai Dinh Tomb is Thien Dinh Palace, which contains bronze statues and steles of the King. Walls are densely decorated and inlaid with elaborate glass and porcelain designs.

 

The most highlighted feature of this room is the intricate painting on the ceiling, illustrating nine dragons amidst fleeting clouds.

The statues of mandarins (court officials) are placed at the courtyard

 

Next we visited another royal tomb, the Minh Mang Tomb. Minh Mang Tomb is the most famous attraction in Hue. The Tomb was built in 1840 under the order of Minh Mang King, so Minh Mang Tomb is well-known as the most beautiful and majestic tomb of Nguyen Dynasty.

 

The tomb is surrounded by natural landscape, so this is a perfect combination of manmade and natural beauty in Hue.

 

Dai Hong Mon: It is the main gate to enter the tomb. The gate presents three paths with 24 heaving roofs covered with beautiful decorations. The gate was opened only once to bring the Emperor's coffin to the tomb, and had been tightly closed since then. Visitors have to use the two side-gates Ta Hong Mon (Left Gate) and Huu Hong Mon (Right Gate).

 

The new Moon Lake is a beautiful Lake full of flowers of Lotus, crossed by a stone bridge.

Lunch was at a Vietnamese Restaurant

After lunch we visited the Imperial City. Famously being one of Vietnam’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Imperial City of Hue has long been a must-see attraction for tourists visiting a hidden charm of Vietnam. The Imperial City of Hue was actually a walled fortress and palace belonged to the ancient city of Hue which was a capital city of the Nguyen Dynasty for 140 years date back from 1805 until 1945.

The entrance to the Imperial City

There are total of ten main majestic gates leading to the Imperial City of Hue, which can be divided into two main parts: The Imperial Citadel and The Forbidden City. The former served to protect the important palaces inside while the latter was where the emperor and the royal family stayed as well as the court’s workplace.

The Imperial Citadel with its tall flag pole



The main entrance to the Forbidden City

What is the Forbidden City in Hue? Put simply it was a private complex of buildings reserved exclusively for the ruling emperor, his family, court ladies and urchins housed inside the Imperial City area, the inner sanctum if you like. Being inside the main citadel and moat, plus behind it’s own 3.7m high brick walls it was the safest place to live.

However, it was flattened by heavy fighting and bombing during the Tet Offensive of January 1968. The ‘battle of Hue’ as it later became known was declared a victory for the American forces but most of the city was destroyed in the fighting. This is said to be the beginning of the end for public and political support for the war in the US



Our next place of interest is the Thien Mu Pagoda, the pagoda of the Heavenly Lady.  Situated on the north bank of the Perfume River in the village of Huong Long, five kilometers from the city of Hue, Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved religious sites in Vietnam.

The name of the pagoda comes from a legend. Long ago an old woman known as Thien Mu (literally "Heavenly Lady") appeared on the hill where the pagoda now stands. She told the local people that one day a King would come and build a Buddhist temple for the country’s prosperity. In 1601, on hearing this legend, King Nguyen Hoang began construction of the pagoda. Further constructions and renovations were done during the succeeding centuries and the Phuoc Dien Tower at the entrance to the complex was built in 1864 (some sources say 1844) by Emperor Thieu Tri. The tower has seven levels, is 21 meters tall and is the tallest such structure in Vietnam

Beautiful landscape behind the temple

 

The Thien Mu Pagoda site also houses the car of the monk who burned himself to death. In June of 1963, Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thích Quang Duc burned himself to death at a busy intersection in Saigon. He was attempting to show that to fight all forms of oppression on equal terms, Buddhism too, needed to have its martyrs.

The self-immolation was done in protest to the South Vietnamese Diem regime’s pro-catholic policies and discriminatory Buddhist laws. In particular this was a response to the banning of the Buddhist flag, just 2 days after Diem had held a very public ceremony displaying crosses; earlier in his rule he had dedicated Vietnam to Jesus and the Catholic Church.



  



 

Later we walked to the wharf and get on a dragon boat for a trip on the beautiful and serene Perfume River.

The river was given its name over 100 years ago, due to the scent of flowers that dropped in the water from upriver orchards. As the strong floral scent was carried through the river during autumnal months, it resulted in locals naming it as Perfume River. Today, it may not smell as fragrant due to modernization and the increasing number of riverboats but it’s still one of the most popular landmarks in Hue. The waterfront gets very lively in the evening. Local youths often flock to the park to enjoy breathtaking sunset views of Perfume River.

The Dragon Boat that we took

 

 

At the end of the boat ride we board the bus and continue our journey to Danang where we had our dinner before checking into 4 Star Bella Maison Parosand Hotel where we will stay for the next two nights.