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Hue
The Golden Age of

Most people outside of Vietnam dont know that Hue was once the capital of Vietnam. The Vietnamese are proud of their long and fascinating history and culture writes Floyd cowan after visiting the former Imperial capital.

hen I first visited Hue, Vietnam in 2002 my only memory was of an overcast drizzling dull gray that didnt allow the day in. My recent visit replaced that image with scenes from that of the sprawling Citadel almost as impressive as the Forbidden City to green fields and a classic hotel born and reborn in the Golden Ages of Travel.

A Dynamic Dynasty
What is important to travellers is that the Nguyen Dynasty, last of Vietnams Royal families, left their imprint on the landscape of Hue. Seven of the 13 kings had tombs that they were built in the hilly region southwest of the Citadel. Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Dong Khanh and Khai Dinh all built tombs during their reign, and some of them served as summer homes while the Kings were alive giving them a place to escape the pressures of the Citadel. We visited the tomb of Tu Duc on the second day of our all too brief visit. We arrived on a Vietnam Airways flight from Hanoi and as we drove from the airport to La Rsidence Hotel & Spa, the elegantly beautiful Accor hotel in their MGallery collection, I watched the passing scenery thinking how little it matched my memories. There was almost nothing about this trip that overlapped. The we on this trip were Australian journalists Rae Wilson, Dominic Burke and Theresa Paris with Chi Nguyen, Accor Marketing & Communications Manager, Vietnam, and Cynthia Dammerer, PR for Press Trips for Accor in Asia, who had designed an excursion that was to take us to so many interesting places.

History in Dollops
Farah and I had stood in one of the few places of shelter adjacent to the walls of the Citadel listening to our guide tell us of the history. Not one word sunk into my mind because it was already soaked with rain water. It rained constantly for the 48 hours we were in Hue. When I recently returned to Hue the rain was still there, but only in occasional sprinkles, while history was there in dollops. Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. Why? Earlier than 1802 what we once called North Vietnam decided it needed more land so it invaded what we once called South Vietnam. The rulers thought it would be expedient to move the capital to Hue, which is in the middle of the country. There the capital remained until the end of World War II. Subsequently the country split into North and South Vietnam with Hanoi once again becoming the capital of the North and Saigon the capital of the south.

On the Throne
Anthony J Gill, General Manager and Dang Xuan Phuoc, Director of Sales greeted us at

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La Rsidence. We had little time to get to our room, do what we needed to and get back to the lobby for our visit to the Citadel. Sitting in the bathroom, as one does, I was looking at the bathtub and thinking how different our time is from the Golden Age of Travel (from about 1900 to World War II) which the La Rsidence originated in. To get to Hue one probably would have travelled a day or two over soul disrupting roads, in tropical heat and humidity or pressed on by Hues persistent rain. Upon arriving at the hotel you might well have soaked in the tub, sprawled on the bed then dressed for dinner. You would not have rushed into the shower after an hours flight from a distant location and then headed out in the slowly gathering evening, to explore the Citadel. We did. At the sweeping entrance to La Rsidence, as grand hotels from the Golden Age of Travel tended to have, bicycle rickshaws awaited to convey us to the Citadel where Tung, our knowledgeable and opinionated guide, gave us a quick tour of a vast complex that needed much more time, and better light to explore.

The Colour Purple

Tung explained that the Forbidden Purple City was built on the same design as Beijings Forbidden City, based on Fung Shui principals with water elements in the middle of the complex. Purple was the Royal colour. The government has made a huge investment to restore, not just the Citadel, but all the historic buildings in Hue by 2020 which is great news for visitors. Chi had visited the Citadel some years earlier and she said that there were a lot of new buildings that she hadnt seen before. The French army had shelled the building, and removed or destroyed nearly all its treasures. Most of the buildings in the Forbidden City were destroyed by fire in 1947 and at its lowest point less than one third of the original buildings remained.

When the French Interfered

I always enjoy riding in the pedal rickshaws as you glide along the streets, close to
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everything. One night in Chiang Mai, very late, we got five, or was it seven people? (anyway it was an odd number) in a rickshaw at the drivers urging. Tung was an interesting guide, not just for his abundant information, but because he repeated several times, when the French interfered with our country which I think succinctly describes the colonial period. During its heyday the Citadel was home to 200,000 people and present day Hue is just shy of one million. It had residences for the kings of course, for their widowed mothers and for all the officials and hangers on that were needed to make the government work and life better. Not to forget the residence for the concubines.
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In the Fading Light

Tung lead us through part of the grounds, along tree-lined lanes and past impressive gates and walls and buildings in various state of repair. I had a hard time keeping up with the group as everything seemed worthy of a photograph from several different angles. The light was dying so I hustled on there was dinner to look forward to at La Rsidence. Anthony and Xuan Phuoc gave

of people in the lounges, in the nooks and crannies, doing things. Quietly. We poked our noses into a number of rooms all of which have every modern convenience. The atmosphere of a bygone age is captured through the use of local materials, art deco inspired design and careful attention to detail. It was done so well that I didnt realise my room was in the new wing that had been added in 2003 for the opening of the expanded hotel in 2005. In the 1980s it had been a government hotel so you can imagine what a delight that wouldve been. I could easily imagine myself having a romantic dinner for two on the roof top Governors Terrace, or enjoying a cocktail party there as other celebrities have done. But I didnt have to imagine as we were soon enjoying an excellent meal with excellent company in a truly beautiful setting when we went for dinner on terrace off the Le Parfum restaurant.

and knowledgeable while being very hospitable. Anthony went out of his way to help me with a small matter that I greatly appreciated. We packed our bags and had them loaded in the mini-van at 9:00am even though our flight wasnt until late afternoon. Sadly, we wouldnt return to La Residnce on this trip, but we had an intriguing time ahead of us.

Meeting Tu Duc
We drove to those rolling hills with Tung talking non-stop about his countrys history. We only had time to visit one tomb and Tung had chosen that of Emperor Tu Duc. I asked him why he had chosen this one. It represents more traditional architecture and culture, Tung replied of King number four. King number 12s tomb looks like a European castle. The grounds are extensive and the buildings in good repair. Are the others in as good shape as this one? I asked Tung. Yes, he replied. It took us all morning to wander the grounds, to read some of the history, to photograph and enjoy the architecture and statues and ponds. There are six more I wish to visit which would make a fascinating trip to Hue if you were to visit all, two a day. Emperor Tu Duc was born in 1829 and had the longest reign of all of the Nguyen Dynasty. (Our Accor guide Chi Nguyen says she is not related.) The King died in 1883 after 35 years on the throne, but his mother, whom he was very devoted to, survived him. She passed away in her 90s in 1901 having witnessed 10 coronations including that of her husband and her sons.
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Creative Asians
us a tour and the history of the hotel that was built in the 1930s As the website explains, At Le Parfum the chefs like to experiment with creative Asian, Vietnamese and European flavours. As at the heart of every dish are the very best of Vietnams fresh and vibrant produce combined with top quality imported specialty ingredients. To really appreciate what that means you must enjoy a meal there. The food was truly an experience as was the entire dinner that was served in a warm and generous manner. Anthony continued to support the impression I have of hotel General Managers. As a group, they are charming, well-educated
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La Comfort & Charm

With 122 rooms and suites, La Rsidence Htel & Spa is a boutique hotel where a lot of care and though has been taken to preserve the charm, comfort and atmosphere of a classic colonial villa. Pictures and paintings bring back local characters and scenes. The pastel colours provide an intriguing feeling of sophisticated comfort without dampening the sense of happening. There were a lot

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An Empty Tomb
The tomb was built between 1864-1867 and though it is called a tomb the Emperor was not burried there. Having seen the French rob other tombs Tu Duc had himself buried elsewhere and is not in this grave. Today no one knows where he is buried. The tomb includes 50 monuments and is surrounded by a 1500m wall. Inside the grounds he allowed deer to roam as they were used for hunting. Tu Duc studied eastern philosophy, history, and literature, and wrote many very humble works. Perhaps the reason he was so humble was because he had 104 wives but no children. Despite having composed 4,000 verses and 600 prose works, during his reign he was unable to gain the respect of his subjects. In his self-critical autobiography Tu Ducs last line is: I leave it to the next generation to judge. Whatever his legacy, Tu Duc left a fascinating place to visit for todays traveller. Some of the things Tung pointed out while we roamed the grounds: In the gate there are three doors. The centre one is for the kings use only. When he dies it is closed forever. Yellow was the Kings colour. As we passed the dormitories for the staff: When he visited the tomb he didnt bring all his wives because they were too noisy and always fighting. The tablets at the tomb are the largest in Vietnam made of 20 tons of stone.

La Rsidence Htel & Spa 5 Le Loi Street Hue City, Vietnam T: (84) 054 3837 475 resa@la-residence-hue.com Tha Om Restaurant 12/12 Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Kim Long, Hue T: (+84 54) 3527 810 www.la-residence-hue.com Vietnam Airlines 3 Flights per day Hanoi Hue T: +84.125.652.22.69 T: +84.169.387.21.66 booking@flyvietnam.com www.flyvietnam.com/ contact

Let Me Come Along

From there we left the rolling hills for a very flat plain, passing along rice paddies, flooded fields and lakes and canals to Thanh Ton Bridge which was built in 1776 by a lady of

the village who had the good fortune to marry a wealthy man. Trn Th o, who had no children, built the bridge with her own money as a gift to her neighbours so they would not have to wade across the creek. When we got out of the mini-van to walk the short distance to the bridge there was a lady singing If you go to the bridge, let me come along. We strolled across the bridge and visited a small museum that had tools from days gone by, some of which local ladies demonstrated how they were used.

An Introduction to the World

We tumbled back into the mini-van and the next time it stopped was on a very ordinary looking street. Chi had promised us a very interesting lunch location but this didnt look too special. That is until we walked down the lane to Tha Om Restaurant. Anthony said that Tha Om was his favourite restaurant in Hue and it only took moments to understand why. Set in a garden with ponds and flowers and made from very dark teak the ancient Vietnamese ambience comes through in every aspect of the presentation. The owner purpose built Tha Om using all the ingredients of Vietnam. I only invite in one group per meal, he told us. I dont run this as a restaurant, my goals is to introduce Hue food to the world. Each course was a work of art, not only in taste, but visually. Each course was meant to be enjoyed in a relaxed manner, taking the time to indulge the senses in the experience, to marinate in it. Unfortunately, we didnt have the time as a jet would soon be going to Bangkok, via Ho Chi Minh City, and we had to rush to get on it. I am frequently asked where a good place to go is, and for those looking for an encounter with history and culture I highly recommend Hue and La Rsidence.

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