This is my final post in my series about Hue. Previously, we looked at the city itself, the nearby beaches, food, and former emperors’ tombs.
Now, back to the City.
The Citadel:
The Citadel, well, for a long time, Hue was the capital of Vietnam. The emperors and their many wives lived in the Citadel, which is right next to Song Huong (river), and basically an enclosed fortress. It stands out because it’s big, it’s protected by a moat, and house the first Samsung LCD in history.
That last one is a joke- for some reason Thuy and I saw an LCD TV in one of the rooms, a room otherwise preserved for historical/museum type of things.
While I’m not a fan of tours, I admit something like a map or tour guide booklet would have been helpful; I just had no idea what I was supposed to be looking at once I walked far enough in. Some places were being renovated, but it wasn’t clear if I was supposed to keep on going or leave those places alone. You just get the feeling there’s so much more history, so much more to learn, but the access isn’t quit there.
War Museum:
The War Museum is right down the street for the Citadel. It’s actually inside the citadel, just not part of the main palace. You’ll find a lot of original American and Russian war equipment like tanks and anti aircraft (I think?) machinery. You can even just post for photos (see below) and check out the insides of various vehicles. Free to enter, or at least free for me.
Thien Mu Pagoda:
Chua Thien Mu is probably one of the most memorable Hue highlights because it’s right next to the river, so anyone taking a river boat will see it stand out. From there, you can take some gorgeous snapshots of the Huong river as well as the skyline.
One interesting story comes from Wikipedia: The temple also stored the Austin motor vehicle in which Thich Quang Duc was driven to his self-immolation in Saigon in 1963 against the Diem regime. It was the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy, which brought the plight of Buddhists to the attention of the international community.[2]
Basically, Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in protest (and died). The car he used to get to Saigon in 1963 is at Chua Thien Mu (the blue car below).
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