Huế (rhymes with 'way') was the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty from 1802-1945. Hue is just south of the 17th parallel, so it was South Vietnam's closest city to the DMZ during the war and suffered massive damage during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
We saw the Imperial City, the mausoleums of the Nguyen emperors, and went on an extensive tour of the DMZ.
The Imperial City is modeled on Beijing's Forbidden City, but much smaller. The compound holds the palace, theater, and other official buildings for the mandarins (top level civil servants), plus the Purple City: the emperor's residence, access restricted to the emperor's family, his concubines, and the eunuchs who ran the place. There's even a 1930's tennis court built for Paris-educated emperor Bao Dai. There are extensive exhibits on the reigns of the Nguyen emperors and the colonial influence of the French, well documented by French photographers.
Most of the buildings were destroyed during the war (the North Vietnamese occupied the entire Citadel area and it took heavy bombing plus the Marines to dislodge them). The key buildings have been restored, but much of the site is either undergoing restoration or just bare foundations.
The Nguyen emperors built elaborate tombs in the surrounding countryside. They'd start their mausoleum several years into their reign, and the lucky/efficient/long-lived ones would finish quickly and use it as a quiet retreat for the rest of their reign. They all have the same main features: a temple/worship area (their living quarters when they'd stay their while living), a stone stele with their (auto)biography, guardian statues, and the tomb itself. We rented a scooter and saw the three most popular:
Tu Duc's tranquil forested mausoleum, where he would rather write poems than put up with the drama from his many wives and concubines. The last independent emperor of Vietnam, he died without a natural heir (sterile from smallpox), which resulted in a major succession crisis and military intervention and political domination by the French.
Khai Dinh's baroque European-influenced hillside tomb, with intricate tile mosaics.
The wide courtyards and plazas of Minh Mang's stately mausoleum.
The DMZ tour was incredibly special. We had a small group tour led by Mr. Vinh, a war veteran. Mr. Vinh was an SFC in the South Vietnamese army, and served as an interpreter to the US Marines. He was wounded recapturing Hue, after which he served as an interpreter to then-general Colin Powell. He was captured when the NVA conquered South Vietnam in 1975 and spent 6 months in a reeducation camp. His knowledge is comprehensive, and we learned so much from him.
Much of the heaviest ground fighting during the war took place in South Vietnam near the DMZ. We saw Khe Sanh, Doc Mieu, the Rockpile, and the site of the Highway of Horror refugee massacre. Khe Sanh has a museum, vehicles, and preserved buildings and fortifications, but there's not much left at the other sites.
The DMZ itself follows the Ben Hai river, and we visited the Hien Luong bridge historic border crossing. The bridge was used from partition until it was bombed in '68: painted communist red (now blue for 'peace') and southern gold on the respective sides, and loudspeakers blared propaganda for both sides.
We also saw the Vinh Moc tunnels on the North Vietnamese side. 300 people lived in the tunnels during the war to shelter from bombs and naval bombardment. A whole village plus NVA soldiers and infrastructure. Dark, cramped, and claustrophobic.
The war was horrific. More than three million people died. What's remarkable is how forward-looking Vietnam is: there's no ill will towards Americans here. Most South Vietnamese vets respect all the US did for them and are proud to have served. Most North Vietnamese vets don't care, after all, they won. The majority of the population was born after the war and it's ancient history to them. They admire western culture and American flag patterns show up all the time in ads and clothing. There may be anti-American propaganda in the war museums, but that's it.
-Peter
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