Huế (hereinafter Hue) was the second city that we visited in Vietnam and much more easily manageable than Hanoi. I signed up for a walking tour one morning to get to know a little bit about the history and culture of the former imperial capital. Since Jon was feeling under the weather, I joined a small group and followed our young Vietnamese guides around the city. For two and a half hours, we alternated short walks in the heat with stops under shaded trees and pagodas to see different buildings, statues, and landmarks. Later in the evening, once Jon was feeling better, I took him on a shortened version of the tour so that he wouldn’t miss out on seeing the city.

The main bridge in Hue, designed by Gustav Eiffel, connects the two sides of the city across the Perfume River.

BeeBee Travel is a local tour company that offers a free walking tour each morning, along with a variety of other themed, paid tours. Despite our small group of five, we had two guides to accompany us who would explain what we were looking at and answer any questions we had about Hue or Vietnam. Although their English was not perfect (they were recent graduates, after all), they were enthusiastic and dedicated to ensuring that we had a good time while in Hue. They offered us suggestions on what to eat, where to go, and how much we should pay for typical items (since tourists are frequently charged more than locals). Jon and I have taken our share of tours while on this trip, but this walking tour was one of my favorites based on the passion our guides demonstrated about their city.

Our guide took us into the Dong Ba market and explained the meaning and usage behind the conical hits that are worn throughout Vietnam.

Hue is located in central Vietnam, about three hours drive north of well-known Hoi An. In 1802, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh was declared Emperor of Vietnam, uniting rule over the entire country. He established the capital in Hue, which remained so until the French colonial period began. The Imperial City was the seat of rule until Emperor Bảo Ðại abdicated in 1945. It was at this time that the country was split, with Hanoi becoming capital of northern communist Vietnam and Saigon becoming capital in the south. During the Vietnam War (or American War as it is known in Vietnam), Hue was in a vulnerable position, near to the border between the two sides. In 1968, the Battle of Hue took place, which was one of the longest and bloodiest of the entire conflict. Much of the city was bombed and many people massacred as each side tried to take control. In the years following, Hue was viewed as a throwback to imperial times and there was not much interest in trying to preserve the few remaining historic buildings. Moving forward to modern times, renovations are underway to restore important structures and effort is taken to remember and protect the history of the city.

There is evidence of the Vietnam/American War throughout the city, like this bunker left on the edge of a park.

We learned all of this information and more while on our tour. Oddly enough, one of the highlights for me was to see and walk across the Truờng Tiền Bridge. The bridge spans the Perfume River and contains walkways on either side of the road for pedestrians. Construction was completed in 1899, making it the oldest bridge in Hue and one of the oldest in Vietnam. It was designed and built by Gustav Eiffel, famous for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. While we were there, hot pink lotus flowers were hanging from the supports, giving it a fun atmosphere.

The pink flowers provided a festive decoration for the steel bridge.

While on my version of the walking tour with Jon in the evening, we were walking through the gardens in front of the Imperial City gates and were stopped by a young woman and teenager. Initially cautious, as most people who stop us on the streets wanted to sell us something, we quickly realized that they wanted to know if we spoke English so they could practice their language skills. We spent an enjoyable half hour with the teacher and her student, asking questions about each other’s culture and learning a little bit about their daily lives.

While not the most in-focus picture, this shows the fun we had getting to know the English teacher and her student in Hue! (including the symbol we are all making, which means that something is really good or really fun)

I would be remiss if my article about Hue didn’t mention the friendliness of the people we encountered. While people weren’t necessarily unfriendly in Hanoi, the locals in Hue who we encountered were happy to see us and willing to help. From the cheerful staff at our guesthouse to my enthusiastic tour guides to the smiling teacher and student we met, everyone wanted to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and having a good time in their city. They were proud of where they lived and eager to pass along their knowledge and love of their city. After Saigon, Hue was my second favorite place in Vietnam due simply to the friendliness of the people we met.

If you look closely, you can see one of the women from our guesthouse in the doorway waving goodbye to us (in our taxi on the way to the train station). This just proves how nice they were!

We ate dinner both evenings at the night market, located conveniently under the bridge down the street from our guesthouse. (This picture has nothing to do with this article; I just like it and wanted to share!)

*Note: The use of accent marks is inconsistent for a reason. I found it easier to refer to the cities by the Anglicized version, since this is what most of you will recognize. For the lesser-known places, food, or people, I’ve kept with the accent marks since this is what we got used to while traveling.