Mar. 17 – Saigon to Hue, The Kings and the French

Today we take a 45 min. flight to Hue, located in the middle of Vietnam, on the east side, near the Pacific Ocean. In this town, we visit the historically restricted royal grounds: the royal palace, royal tombs, etc. We also visit the temples where monks live, learn, and exercise their spirituality.

The royal palace looks like a miniature version of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is engaging to walk down the hall showcasing the former kings and have our tour guide share with us the stories of each king’s ascent to the throne then fall to his death. Some of the kings were murdered by the “next in line”. If I recall correctly, one lasted less than a week, another four months, another right months, etc. There is one pic that looks to me like he is a she. I ask, “Is that a picture of the queen?” The guide replies, “No, but he has been known to be referred to as Madame”.

The royal tombs are just as grand as the palace. By one of the tombs, we see that half the tiles are one shade and the other half another shade. According to our guide, the French had tried to dig up the corpse for jewelry, but found nothing, not even the King. The King had himself buried at a secret location. Two hundred men carried his tomb underground. All of them were buried alive with the King to keep the location secret. Of course, who buried them alive is still a question.

Following our palatial tour, we climb aboard a boat and head to our restored colonial French hotel. The French did contribute some great architecture.