Travels in Vietnam

N   80  Hue City

Hue(pronounced Hway ) is a city in Central Vietnam, that was the seat of Nguyen dynasty emperors and the national capital from 1802 to 1945. As it is an old city it has many structures of historical importance, such as the 19^th century citadel surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. Other remarkable places are the tomb of emperors such as Tu Duc, Khai Din, Min Mang and also famous pagodas.

After we checked into our hotel and were ready to go out it was nearly noon. We asked our driver to take us to Emperor Tu Duc’s tomb first. It was not very far from the city and before long we reached there.

It had been raining since we arrived in Hue. But not so heavy. Just a light one. We walked  into the compound which is 12 hectares wide and surrounded by thick walls. What we first saw was a lake with low water level and the water in it looks stagnant.But with the old pavilion in the background and trees (many magnolias ) the scenery was magnificent. After that  we walked onto higher level.

I had already learned that there are nearly 50 constructions of palaces, pavilions, theatres, courtyards, royal gardens, lakes and such as  should fit an emperor.They took 3 years to build (1864- 67)  And now I was seeing  them with my eyes . The stone stele in the stele pavilion is the biggest in Vietnam. The narrative inscribed on it was composed by the Emperor (reign 1848-1883 ) himself.

Tu Duc’s tomb is not only one of the beautiful works of Nguyen Dynasty but it is also a romantic scenery of mounts and lakes.

Then we were taken to visit Emperor Khai Din’s tomb. The car stopped directly in front of the steps leading to the tomb complex. The archway at the top of the staircase had captivated me that I had a wish to take a group photo on the stairs. But this did not become real because someone was not interested and didn’t even come up with us.

I tried to climb up the stairs resting 2 times and finally got to the top. And it was well worth to have done so because I could see a lovely viewpoint over the mountain from the top.

There is a vast courtyard in front of the stele pavilion and in the courtyard are figures of elephant, horses, and court officials which emperors could not dispense with. There are these in every tombs.

Climbing another set of stairs we reached the Khai Thanh palace with intricately carved decorations on the external walls. There are 3 separate halls, the palace, the Royal Crypt and the Altar Hall.The walls are decorated with inlaid colorful glass and porcelain pieces. There is the decorated sarcophagus, built in the form of a throne with the figure of the  seated emperor over it as well as items retained from his reign.

Emperor Khai Din was the 12^th and the last emperor of Nguyen dynasty who reigned from 1916 to 1925. His tomb is a blend of western and eastern architecture built from 1920 to 1931.

After having a late lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant we went to visit the complex of Hue monuments. (UNESCO World Heritage site ) 

The first structure we saw was the Hue Citadel. It is not old as Hanoi Citadel because it was built only in 1804 by Emperor Gia Long.

Our car drove past the citadel and into the car park. We had to leave our car here, and hire an electric car to get into the complex. It did not take us to see the Citadel but took us direct into the palace complex. The complex is huge. I learned that it is 2 klms by 2klms. So to explore it on foot is impossible, unless one takes 2 or 3 days. And there are many places to visit. Gates, courtyards, lakes, palaces, pavilions,  and such pertaining to Emperors. Unfortunately we didn’t have a guide to explain to us.We understood what one building is only from what our driver told us.

By the time the last emperor stepped down in mid 20^th century this  Purple Forbidden City had acquired many dozens of pavilions and hundreds of buildings. But the US –Vietnam war and other natural disasters had caused substantial damages to the buildings. And so many of what we were seeing were reproductions of them. But they look authentic and really impressive especially the Emperor’s mother’s palace , the museum and the royal theatre.  They are well worth the price of the pricey tickets that we had to acquire to go in .

(Some facts and photos from the internet ) 

Travels in Vietnam

N  79  Night Train to Hue

I had decided to travel to the middle part of Vietnam by night train. It was not that we didn’t have time , but I just wanted to feel the experience. But when we looked at the train schedule, we saw that the tourist train leaves only at night ( 19:10 ). I had expected to see some Vietnam’s landscape while travelling , but with the night sleeper we will see only a few hours of daylight . Anyway we decided to book the tickets.

The cost of the ticket is not so cheap. It is about 62 $, about the same as the air ticket, but the distance also is not so short. From Hanoi to Hue it is 688 klms and we will have to spend about 12 hours on the train.

We got to the train station on time and even had to wait some time. It was a little crowded and noisy. But not so bad. When it was time for boarding we had to go to the platform and locate our carriage.

 Not before long we got onto our cabins ( 2 for 8 of us ).The train left on time. Our cabins were neat and tidy and looked like there was nothing we need. I tried to sleep but could not , so when someone suggested that we should go to the dining carriage we agreed and left. I had thought that we would have to cross not more than 5 carriages but I was mistaken. We had to cross about 10 carriages and it was not very easy for me with the moving train. After we had crossed sleepers full of tourists we crossed some more carriages full of locals. I wondered where all of these people boarded. They must have boarded the train from other stations before they joined us at the central station because  I didn’t see many when we boarded at the central station.

Finally we reached the restaurant carriage. I had thought that food can be ordered and eaten here, but to my frustration they  only have  instant coffee and instant noodle.Though I was not hungry at that time I ordered a bowl of noodle and a cup of coffee.

We decided to return to our carriage while the train stop at one station. So it was not so bad on our return.

I tried to sleep after that , but sleep would not come. The carriage was swaying sideways and also up and down. U Sai commented that they do not differ much from our Myanmar railway carriages.So asleep or not dawn broke and we got up to watch the landscape of Vietnam.

There was nothing much to say about  Vietnam’s landscape. It is not beautiful and full of unwanted plants and weeds like in our country. It may be because there is much rain . We travelled past villages and rice fields, some filled with water , some still being tilled to get sown. It was time for sowing I thought . We also saw buffaloes. So they also use buffaloes for ploughing like in our Shan State. Sometimes we saw some big rivers or streams, but not big trees. I wondered where have all their big trees gone. To China…. like ours ? As for the houses they don’t have bamboo or thatched houses . Only brick houses with tile roofing. But they are not new or neat and tidy.

Our train punctually pulled into our destination, Hue station at 8:20 like they said .There is not a proper landing there. I had to be assisted in stepping down to the low platform. And there is not a neat platform either. Besides it was raining and wet. We dragged our luggages through the wet and rough surface of the platform to where we can hire taxis.

Though there were some inconveniences in the night train we didn’t grumble or complain about them. Instead we felt contented and happy  about it as it was a rare experience which a few people of our country had been through.

Travels in Vietnam

N 78   Ha Long Bay

-        Today was a great day. We were going to visit the famous UNESCO designated Ha Long Bay. At first I know that only old and historical places like Angkor Wat  are registered UNESCO sites. But only not long ago I came to know that some natural environment which has exceptional beauty and aesthetic  importance can also be designated UNESCO sites. So Ha Long bay must be one of them.

We learned that to visit Ha Long bay will take the whole day because it is about 170 klms away. So we arranged to go there with  a travel agency which is near our hotel. The ticket cost us 35 $ each and it included the bus ride, lunch on the boat, the boat ride and oh…. also the kayaking ( they called it kayaking but actually it is boating ) and visit to a cave.The price not bad we thought.

The bus punctually  picked us up at 8 but with all the pickings it was over  9 when we finally say bye…. to Hanoi and Hi… Ha Long bay here we come…. and started our first part of our journey.

The road is not bad though it is not a real expressway. We stopped at a big souvenir mall selling splendid Vietnamese handicraft on the way and finally arrived  Ha Long about noon.

Immediately  we had to cross a concrete platform with souvenir stalls and taken to our boat which we will have to cruise the bay with. It was not the kind of boat I had been dreaming of, which was a double or triple decker or some junk like boat with sails which I had seen in photos. But it was a simple single deck boat with a roof which one can get on and look around.

But in the boat tables were all laid out , each for 6 people , ready to be served lunch. And so we started our special lunch of seafood. A lunch of all kinds of sea food, fishes, prawns, clams, mother of pearls, squids, and even crabs. While we eat the boat started to cruise around the bay.

Because we were hungry and thus enjoying our foods, only when our stomachs were filled that we remember to look around. The scenery that should be called first class is not strange to my eyes because I have seen them too many times in photos and on TVs. The photos captured by best photographers with best equipments may be even prettier than the real bay, but the feeling that I was experiencing this spectacular seascape, while seeing it with my own eyes, gave me some feeling of excitement ,  delightfulness , and contentment, like some dreams coming  true.

The boat ferried us through emerald waters towards Chicken island where kayaking was to be done. Before long we reached there and got onto a wood landing and people who were going for kayaking prepared to do so . We 2 old people did not go but waited only at this place ( I later regretted this )while other people donned life jackets and got onto the kayaks ( 6 in each ) and left.Judging from the photos they took I realized they had an amazing time.

The visit to the cave was also done from this place. After they cheerfully came back from kayaking they were told to get ready for the cave excursion. I was warned beforehand that the steps leading to the cave were a little slippery and that we will have to do some ascending, so we chose not to go this time either.

We just stayed on the boat drinking a cup of coffee and sometimes bargaining and buying some souvenirs  which the proprietor came and sold to us. When the visitors to the cave came back after about 40 minutes the boat turned back to take us to shore.

What we had seen today of Ha Long was only a fraction of this vast bay ( it has an area of 1553 sq klms) with over 1600 limestone islands topped by rainforests.  Even  a native of this place will not be able to visit the whole place in his lifetime. But for us to see something is better than nothing

It was already early evening. The tour company had said that we will be back in Hanoi about 8:30 and surely we were. It was a tiring day but the experience visiting this amazing place will remain in my heart forever.

Travels in Vietnam

N   77   Around Hanoi

The 2^nd place we visited was the old citadel of Hanoi. It is also called the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. It was the former residence of Vietnamese monarchs dating back to the Ly Dynasty ( 1010 ) and remained the seat of the Vietnamese court until 1810 when the Nguyen Dynasty Chose to move the capital to Hue. The few remaining structures within the royal compound are the Doan Mon Gate, The Flag Tower, the steps of the Kin Thien Palace and the Princess Palace.

In 2010 the Citadel was registered with UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As I cannot climb the long rock stairs leading to the flag tower above I just waited at the bottom , while others went up , and took some photos but contented to have visited this over one millennium old UNESCO Heritage Site.

After this place it was time for lunch. So we asked the driver to take us to a restaurant that serve traditional Vietnam food. And he did so . This place is a popular place because we saw all the tables filled with people and have to go upstairs ( by climbing a steep staircase as usual, like in old Vietnam buildings ). It didn’t take long for the food to be served but  the price tag of one dish made us give some comments and laughter when it said 650000 dong (actually about 30 $ ) . Some of us said we were millionaires spending 100 lakhs a day. But everything we said  were just for fun. It should be like this when travelling with friends. Shouldn’t it be ?

We visited Hoan Kiem Lake next. It is one of Hanoi’s major scenic spot, in the middle of the city. There are some places on the bank which are made into park like places where people can visit and rest. We crossed a stretch of water to an island where there are some places of worship( a Chinese Temple ). We saw a figure of a tortoise in a glass case and learned the history of the lake which is concerned with the tortoise. Now they said that the lake is full of these  giant animals , but we were not lucky enough to catch sight of one. Hoan Kiem has become a holy place that nurture tortoises now.

The last place we visited for the day was the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. It is located on a 3.27 acres of property , about 8 kilometres from the city centre.. It is widely considered to be the finest modern museum in Vietnam , opened in 1997,  focuses on the 54 officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam.

 As we are Tais and have heard that there are Tai people who speak the same language as us in Vietnam and we were interested in meeting them. But to meet them we will have to go to the hilly north, which we didn’t  have time to do so and so decided it best to learn about them in the museum. By doing so we will also come to know about all Vietnam’s ethnic people.

The museum beautifully presented all  informations that should be known about each ethnic group from costumes, household utensils, things concerning rituals, traditional crafts, musical instruments, farming tools etc to the style of their houses, a real life size one or just models.

These are presented in photos, or in real pieces. There are also videos showing activities of the people.About our Tai ( they spell Thai ) we learned that they are the 2^nd biggest ethnic group with a population of 1.5 million. There are 2 kinds of Tai, the White Tai and the Black Tai. They live mainly in Son La, Mai Chau, Lao Cai and Lai Chau . They wear their clothes for cultural performances. Tais are well known for their beautifully woven garments,other accessories and typical houses built on stilts. They have a heritage of ancient legends and myths and they like folk dances.

In fact the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is beautifully presented. There are so much to see and to learn that at least 3 or 4 hours will be needed to take in all thoroughly.

But it was  nearing the end of the day and we were all tired, so could not  give more time , but had to retire to our hotel.

Before departing to Hue we visited 3 more places of which one was the Temple of Literature. It is not far from Hoan Kiem Lake. It was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong and was dedicated to Confucious. A rare example of well preserved traditional Vietnamese culture,the complex honours Vietnam’s finest scholars and men of literacy accomplishments. It is the site of Vietnam’s first University established here in 1076 . We found stelaes recording the names, place of birth, and achievements of exceptional scholars; 82 of 116 stalaes remain standing.

We also visited Tran Quoc Pagoda which is a Buddhist pagoda, where we sit down on the marble floor and pay homage to the Buddha statues in the little nitches there. There also is a shrine hall with images of Buddha and also Arahats. Although Vietnam is said to be  85% Buddhists I didn’t see much Buddhist worshipping places, but maybe because we could not look for them thoroughly.

We had chosen to visit one pillar pagoda also,because it is one of Hanoi’s attraction.It is in the grounds of HCM Mausoleum and we had crossed it while visiting there without knowing this. So when our driver took us there we were amazed and laughter broke out among ourselves. It was nearly dark and there were no visitors by then. We walk speedily to the place, studied and took pictures of it .Built on one pillar….yes , it is . But not a wood pillar. It is a concrete pillar. The beams which support the platform of the building comes from this pillar and spread to different directions. There is an alter for some deity in the small hall above. We pay our homage standing and then departed for the train station.

Travels in Vietnam

N 76         ( Ho Chi Min Mausoleum , Hanoi )

After a long interval of not writing and posting blogs I think I have enough raw materials to produce some for my travelogues as I have just visited Vietnam , the north , the middle, and the south part of it. So I will start from Hanoi the northern  part of this country.

This time I travelled with 7 other people. So there were 8 of us on this trip. We took the night flight of Vietnam Airline and arrived there at about 9. As we first landed we saw only a dimly lit  city and so our first impression of it was that the city is not so big with limited electricity. But later we found out that we were wrong as it is big and bustling and electricity is more than enough in every city.

The next morning we took off to go sightseeing around the city in the hired limousine van which we took to transfer us from the airport to our hotel last night.

Let me tell you about the amazing Vietnam currency which made my head spin and puzzled to think of it first. The cost of hiring the car for one day  was 3500000 Dong (3 and a half million ) . It is a number that should make one faint. But if we calculate it in dollars  it will make us feel better because roughly  22ooo Dong is equal to one $.  So 3500000 dong is only 159 $, about 20 $ for each person and this made us relieved that it is worth our money to have to go around the city in this luxury car.

Our first place to visit is of course the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. When we got off the car I was astonished to see 2 long queues of people and started to worry because I am not sure that I will be able to queue or walk the vast ground of the mausoleum. Our queue took us far past the mausoleum, turned left and out of a gate where we had to buy tickets to enter Ho Chi Minh’s  yellow house. We and all the other people just looked at it from the outside , took pictures and then walked ahead. Then we came across a pleasant lake with yellow railings, walked beside it and some gardens until we came to a resting place where souvenirs and light  foods are sold. We cannot resist buying something and so Dongs  of at least 5 digits jumped out of our shoulder bags.

Lastly we joined the 2^nd queue which we saw when we entered to go into the mausoleum . But before this there is also the Ho Chi Minh Museum .Here again there is entrance fees . So we decided not to go in. Again we joined the queue and went  into the Mausoleum.

It is a large memorial of Vietnam’s leader Ho Chi Minh,  chairman of the Communist Party from 1951 until his death in 1969. He read the declaration of independence on 2^nd December 45 establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The mausoleum work begin in 1973 and inaugurated in  1975. The embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh is preserved in the cooled Central Hall of the mausoleum and protected by a military honour guard. The body lies in a glass case with dim lights . Lines of visitors , including visiting foreign dignitaries pay their their respects at the mausoleum everyday.