Exploring the Imperial City of Hue

Marco Whyte|2024-03-19 (9 months ago)47 views

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My next stop is Huế in Central Vietnam. It is renowned for its rich history as the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, showcasing a wealth of ancient architecture, including the famous Imperial City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On my first day here, I was walking around when a kind Vietnamese man, Nhung, called me from the street and said he would invite me for coffee. I was hesitant, but it turned out to be an incredible decision and it would shape my trip in this historical city. He introduced me to Cà phê sữa, a Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk which is amazing.

He explained he was a tour guide and showed me a really nice book of people from all over handwriting reviews for him. He was very much a local and only had a flip phone, so you couldn't find him online if you wanted to! I agreed to go explore the city with him and we were off on his motorcycle in no time.

Our first stop was to get breakfast, Bún bò Huế. This is a rice noodle dish with sliced beef, chả lụa, and pork knuckles.

We then went to explore the Imperial Palace. I walked around here for several hours, the palace is so big with many things to see. Many Vietnamese girls dressed in traditional clothes were taking pictures with the gates of the palace.

We then continued to the Royal Tombs, the final resting place of Khai Dinh. Inside, the tombs had incredibly detailed mosaics.

Once I exited the Tombs, my new friend Nhung looked at me with a smile and said "I would like to invite you to my home, meet my kids and have my wife cook for you". I was taken aback by the kind jesture and accepted graciously. When we arrived, he showed me his home and all the pictures of his family, many of which were in the Vietnamese military. It was eye-opening to see how the locals lived in the countryside and how happy everybody was. I met his children and we had an amazing feast.

After we ate lunch, drank beers and talked, we went to a final stop in Huế, the Tu Duc Mausoleum.

The thing I will take away from this trip is a slogan Nhung repeated several times, "You never know!". It's important to be careful, but often times the best experiences come from taking a risk and chance on people.