Hué and Hanoi, Vietnam

We took long rides to get to the final two places we wanted to visit in Viet Nam: Hué and Hanoi. Hué was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty—the 1^st emperor of a united Vietnam. The dynasty came to power at the beginning of the 19^th century and lasted until 1945, at the end of French colonization. Hanoi is the capital of today’s united Vietnam and was the communist center during the Vietnam (or as they say, American) War.

The country is still a mystery to us. We asked our Hué guide if everyone was happy with this government. His response was “Yes, everyone is happy. We have jobs and everything we need.” No one else in the world is that happy! When questioned further, he told us that if you don’t have a job, you’re identified as a farmer and now you have a job—no land, no work, but you do have a title! When we asked the same question of our Hanoi guide his answer was “No”. He doesn’t want to be a communist, but you have to be one to get a good job. His wife is a teacher and until she joined the party, she got the worst jobs and had to change classrooms or schools every couple months. She joined the party and now has a much better job. He told us Ho Chi Minh was a great man, but he had the wrong idea. He thinks that without communism, the country could have avoided 4 wars. Don’t know if that’s true, but the contrast between the 2 guides was amazing.

Hué has some beautiful sites, but they’re not as old as expected. All of the amazing sites were built in the 19^th century. We started at the Citadel, which is protected by 6 miles of ramparts, 40 feet thick. Picture 1 shows one of the gates and gives some idea about the thickness of the walls. Once inside the Citadel, if you are important enough, you can enter the Imperial City. Picture 2 shows the entrance to the Imperial City. The center door was reserved for the Emperor. The door on either side for the trusted advisors and guests and the doors on either extension were for soldiers and horses. Inside was a large hall where the Emperor received visitors and offices.

Finally, inside the Imperial City was a walled compound called the Forbidden Purple City. This was the area reserved for the Emperor, his family, his concubines and his eunuchs. One emperor had so many wives and concubines that they say he died from exhaustion! The male servants were all eunuchs, so as not to attract the women and compete with the emperor. Being a eunuch was a privilege with all the advantages, except one…. Picture 3 shows the entrance to the Forbidden Purple City, which was patterned after the Forbidden City in Beijing. Picture 4 shows one gallery that has been reconstructed to its original style and lavishness. Unfortunately, the remainder of the Forbidden Purple City was heavily destroyed, first by the French when they fought the communist insurgency, then by the Americans during the Tet Offensive. Picture 5 shows how it looks today.

We also visited one of the oldest temples in Hué. The Chua Thien Mu Pagoda was built in 1601 and the 7-story octagonal tower showed in Picture 6 was added in 1840. Each side represents a different reincarnation of Buddha.

Our final stop was at the Mausoleum of Emperor Tu Duc, the longest reigning emperor (1848-1883). He had 104 wives and countless concubines and no male heirs. This is a huge park with numerous building, including a lake that was dug by hand. The area took 6 years to build and 10,000 workers died in the process. Picture 7 is the entrance to the tomb area, which is shown in Picture 8. The decorations on the tomb entrance and other areas were made with broken pieces of porcelain.

Two days later we took an even longer ride (3.5 hours) with our guide from Ha Long Bay to Hanoi. The entire countryside is made up of rice paddies, like the ones shown in Picture 9. The planting is done by hand—back-breaking placement of rice seedlings in shallow water. It was planting time and they do this twice a year.

Our first stop was at the Hanoi Hilton—the prison made famous to us during the Vietnam War. The official name is Hoa Lo Prison and it was built by the French. It’s where the French imprisoned communist insurgents. Picture 10 shows how the prison looked during the Vietnam War. American prisoners were kept in the wing that swings out from the main buildings. John McCain was held close to the corner on the right. Today, the building looks like Picture 11. The “American wing” has been taken down and a high-rise building put in its place.

Picture 12 is Ho Chi Minh’s letter to his countrymen during the New Year’s celebration (Tet) in 1969, discussing their great victories. While most of the museum today focuses on the French period, there are 2 small rooms focusing on the “American War”. Picture 13 shows the sign explaining that during that period, even though it caused financial hardships, the Americans were treated well. There were also pictures of some of the Americans eating holiday dinners, playing basketball, etc. I guess when it’s your country and you won the war, you get to say whatever you want!

Piece of trivia—there is a Hanoi Hilton Hotel today, but it’s called the Hanoi Hilton Opera to distinguish it from the “other” Hanoi Hilton.

Our second stop was at Van Mieu, the Confucian Temple of Literature. Built in 1060, it was the first university in Vietnam. Picture 14 shows the statue of Confucius in the worship hall. Between 1484 and 1779 graduates with doctoral degrees created stone turtles (sign of longevity) carrying stele on their backs that outline the doctor’s goals in life. Picture 15 shows a couple examples. Today families take their children to the temple prior to the school year and make an offering for a good school year.

We also visited Ho Chi Minh Square, where his mausoleum (Picture 16) is located.  He wanted to be cremated, but those in power after his death had him embalmed and placed in a glass casket, so that people can parade by, similar to what the Russians did with Lenin.  Today, Ho Chi Minh’s body is sent to Moscow for a couple months of treatment each year to preserve its status. Once an hour the guard is changed and Picture 17 shows the ceremony ending.

Around Ho Chi Minh Square you will also find the Parliament building, the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the headquarters of the Communist Party.

Finally we visited old town. Each street specializes in selling one thing. Picture 18 shows the view down Shoe Street. You’ll also find a small street restaurant set up on about every corner, like the one shown in Picture 19. People eat on low children’s stools and a single luncheon choice is served from the central pot.

Both Hué and Hanoi were interesting places to visit. Even after 40+ years, reminders from the Vietnam War are still hard to see—especially from the eyes of the Vietnamese. We asked our Hanoi guide how the Vietnamese felt about Americans and he thinks most people have pretty much forgiven the Americans. “But never the Chinese,” he said, “We hate the Chinese”. In the 900s, the Chinese were driven out after 1000 years of occupation. They don’t like the fact that the Chinese are taking over resources in the South China Sea (which they call the Eastern Sea) and I think they feel perpetually threatened by the Chinese. Interesting people….