Hue

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The stay in Hue was a highlight of our trip. The spcial experience had as much to do with the people we met as the sites we saw. A chance meeting with a couple of people in the old city made for many conversations and excellent times. We met Hoang a young painter and his teacher Khanh during a stop for ice cream while motorbiking around - spent a significant portion of the next 2 days with them.

Hue was the last imperial capital of Viet Nam before the revolution that precipitated almost 60 years of constant war with the Japanese, the French, the Americans and each other. The countryside is literally littered with mausoleums, monuments and palaces - enough to last a week of constant viewing. The old city was stunning in it's size and architecture - the culture and style that went along with it will make it a destination that we'll visit again when we have a chance.

Hoang and Khanh were both kind in their hospitality - beers at Hoang's school and gallery, a escorted trip to the Festival opening ceremony practice, Pho breakfast with Khanh, a visit with his family and a tour of galleries in the city. We found 2 pieces, one lacquer by Hoang and one in oil by the internationally famous Hoang Dang Nhuan. The range and depth of art in this city was fab.

Sights

Imperial Monuments
Comments: Ranging in age from 250 to 70 years old you can see a broad range of architectural styles influenced by the Chinese and Europeans. Tu Duc, Thieu Tri and Khai Dinh tombs stood out as ornate and impressive while smaller places like the Nam Giao alter had a simplicity of style and a grand scope.
Cost: VND 15-50K
Worth it?: definitely

Hue Festival 2002 Comments: Though we only saw the preparations for the festivals the doing up of the town was amazing and rivalled anything we'd seen anywhere. 12 countries from around the world participate in the festival and the locals do all they can to showcase the local srtisitc talent.
Cost: no idea
Worth it?: from what we could see we blew it by leaving early

Meals

La Carambole - 19 Pham Ngu Lao
Comments: Introduced to this place through Hoang the painter. Some of hi lacquer art adorns the wall. A fusion of Vietnamese and French food it hosts mostly French tourists but has some of the most capable staff in any restaurant enywhere. The food was dynamite.
Cost: VND 160K for a big pig out

Accomodation

Shops