Check in from Hue

On a rainy day in Hue we visited three unique sites: the tomb of one of the last king's of Vietnam, the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Citadel. 

     Traditionally in Vietnam, king's built their own tombs before they died and then were buried secretly somewhere else so their enemies would not desecrate their bodies. However, the second to last king of Vietnam was a bit more modern and perhaps a bit more self-absorbed than the others. He taxed the people exorbitantly and had this monumental structure built in 11 years. He was disliked and spent his life living extravagantly and gambling and died at 40. However, the structure he left is impressive, more impressive than he was. 

      The Thieu Mu Pagoda is built on the Perfume River. This pagoda is very famous in Vietnam and has been linked to political protest. It is very simple with a very impressive octagonal tower. After walking through one of its three gates, you walk into a simple building and see a large bronze Happy Buddha. Thai taught us how to bow. Only those who want to worship can enter another closed off room that has three additional Buddhas. Behind this building is another that has enshrined a turquoise Austin car from 1963. It carried the monk Thich Quang Duc to Saigon where he publicly burned himself to death in protest of the policies of the south Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem who was later assassinated. A photo of this act was printed in magazines and newspapers around the world. I remember it myself from back in the day.

       Our final stop was The Citadel. It is Hue's version of the Forbidden City although only 20 percent of it is left after carpet bombings during both the war. Originally, both sides in the war agreed that it was off-limits but then when the Viet Cong started hiding in the Citadel, all bets were off. It destroyed an irreplaceable piece of history. 
Little by little, the government is trying to restore it. It was a city within a walled city where the king and his wives and the court lived, rarely leaving. So little is left, you need to use your imagination. Our guide Thai helped that along by getting all of us to rent 
royal robes and pose for courtly pictures. It was kitschy but fun.