Hue

The train ride from Danang to Hue was very beautiful but getting off it was quite a challenge. The Vietnamese do not do the English polite thing of waiting for people to get off before getting on the train. The corridors are already meant for a very thin person with no baggage so squeezing past was impossible. Also the guards kept blowing their whistles which only caused more people to hurriedly squeeze on the train leaving me and another lady with no chance of escape. Luckily at the last second I managed to push my way through.

In Hue I visited the Citadel and the Imperial Palace inside. It was very beautiful, and I really enjoyed the landscaped gardens, so peaceful away from the rest of Vietnam. The emperor resided here from1804. A lot of it was bombed by the Americans but the citadel walls have survived pretty well. The rest has been restored.

The train trip to Hue

A war memorial to French and Vietnamese soldiers

The Ngo Mon (noontime) gate to the Imperial Enclosure

View out from the palace

Inside the Thai Hoa Palace, with the emporer's throne where he sat on special occasions

The Palace from the outside

A beautiful gate to the Forbidden Purple City

One of the Halls of the Mandarins

Ornate walkways

Yet more ornate

A pavillion set in landscaped gardens

Landscaped gardens

Detail of pavilion roof with dragons

A beautiful lake where I sat for a long time

Yet another beautiful gate

The river/moat around the citadel