Continuing our way north after Hoi An, we’re making one more stop quite close: the old imperial capital of Hue, which housed the seat of the Nguyen dynasty when they controlled Vietnam for nearly two centuries.
Fans of Top Gear will perhaps remember that Hue can be reached via the spectacular Hai Van pass - the “ Sea of Clouds” - and although we’re keeping to our decision of not riding a motorbike this trip, we have an alternative to enjoy the gorgeous landscape. Indeed, the standard train between Da Nang and Hue just happens to hug the rugged coastline below the Hai Van path - resulting in one of the most picturesque rail journeys available. As train fans, we've made sure to include this trip in our itinerary, and after a very comfortable transfer back to Da Nang in a private car (arranged by the ever-helpful family at Ngo House, for a fraction of the price of the tourist bus), we’re settling down into our seats for the 10am express.
It’s a very slow start as we leave the big city, but soon the track narrows to a tiny strip clinging to the mountainside and we get fantastic views: out towards the pristine sea, back over the bay to Da Nang’s skyline and closer to the train, over endless lush vegetation covering rolling hills. Everyone is in awe (even the regulars!) and it’s an impressive couple of hours as our train ever so slowly snakes its way through just a few dozens of kilometres. Now and then, a sharp bend even gets us a nice view of the front of the train - Ollie is over the moon!
Over such rugged terrain, it’s taken us more than half the journey time to cover a fraction of the distance - but it was well worth it for the spectacle, and as soon as we are clear of the pass’ foothills, we pick up speed and barrel on towards Hue. There’s still a few impressive sights to be gleaned along the way, with picturesque views over rice paddies and just as we exit the pass, one impressive bridge spanning an entire bay near the small town of Lang Co. Not as impressive as the start, but still pretty.
I’d imagined Hue as a small, quiet provincial town - and there’s a bit of that, but it’s still much bigger than either of us expected. The city comes as a bit of a surprise: while its old quarter, still contained by the tall fortifications and moats of the outer citadel rampart, is very much what we pictured, outside of the walls a sprawling metropolis has grown, glitzy hotels and restaurants springing up along the banks of the mystical Perfume River. The provincial rhythm of life still very much holds its own however: we’re bunking in a quiet homestay right in the middle of the citadel, and when our very helpful Grab driver finally finds the place at 2pm, it’s bang in the middle of nap time and everything is closed! Luckily we figure out how to open the gate, and someone comes to let us through and drop our bags off before we head off to visit the Imperial City.
All the restaurants are also closed for lunch, and we only just manage to find an open eatery that will serve us. This is a very local place, with not a word of English on the menu, but we get lucky as the quantities of our two randomly-selected dishes balance out: one huge platter of noodles, various meats, and sauces, and then a tiny saucer of five pieces of pork belly. It’s all very nice though and once we’ve carefully sidelined the pungent fish paste, we wolf it down (probably not in the proper way) under the amused eyes of the regulars.
Very full, we finally head towards the historic inner city - unfortunately we’re starting on the wrong side, and we get shooed back at two exit-only gates before finally circling all the way round to the Meridian Gate where they deign admit us. It’s a very impressive entrance, with an absolutely gigantic flag flying in front of it on top of the brick ramparts, and a two-storey pavilion guarding the gate. As we walk through the side gates (the middle ones are reserved for the emperor) we enter a vast enclosed area filled with grass, lakes and ruins - in that order of predominance. This used to be the Nguyen emperors’ fastness, a city within a city, where only the highest dignitaries and the closest servants were allowed. Containing palaces, gardens, royal temples, mandarin galleries, and theatres, it would have been the beating heart of Hue. Unfortunately, the enclosure got heavily bombed during the independence struggles, and while restoration efforts are ongoing, there are only a few buildings left to see for the moment - even less today as most of the main palaces are in works when we visit!
Still, in a few hours of wandering around the complex, under a thankfully blue sky, we see beautiful gates galore, labyrinthine bonsai gardens, a bijou library covered in mosaics, a couple of stunning restored red lacquer galleries, and the remains of many temples and palaces. Funnily enough, the better conserved and signposted areas tend to be more crowded, and therefore less impressive - our favourite bit is the unnamed pavilion behind the library, which houses a stunning collection of meter-high bonsais within four covered cloisters. The famous Forbidden City, where in the old days only the emperor’s family would have been allowed, is nothing but a grassy courtyard now - although the giant bronze cauldrons standing guard at its entrance remain.
Despite the lack of directions or explanations, it’s a fun wander around quite a quiet site and we’re both very glad of our stop here - the Imperial City was well worth it. The visit also helps to underline a side of Vietnam we’re seeing more and more of: the heavy Chinese influences in the country’s culture. From our encounter with the Da Nang Dragon to this imperial complex covered in bonsais and red lacquer, the similarities are obvious. For us visitors, it’s quite a magical experience, and there’s a mystique here that the Thai temples couldn’t quite reach, which is setting Vietnam this little further apart from our previous travels too.
As the fortress closes for the day, we head back to our guesthouse: we’ve got some planning to do for the next couple of days! We need to sort a couple of day tours (in Hue and Phong Nha) and onward transport to Ninh Binh, and for some reason the website we’ve used to book all our tickets so far has suddenly stopped working… Luckily, with a little help from our hosts, and a stop at the train station where the very patient ticket clerk walks us through all our train bookings, we sort everything out promptly enough. And as night falls, with everything now booked, we’re just in time for a stroll along the prettily lit Perfume River, where we can see a few echoes of the Hoi An floating lanterns, and dinner at a cute local restaurant before heading back to bed.
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