Off the 'soft sleeper' train from Lao Cai quite early in the morning (5.30ish so way earlier than I'm used to these days). On the bus and straight to Hanoi airport for the flight to Hue with Vietnam Airlines.
We knew that none of us had showered, but given the aroma of armpits in the bus as we were ferried from the plane at Hue - there may have been a few others as well. Too bad!
The streets, as we drove into Hue, were wide and clean. The traffic was chaotic as with other cities, but it works for them, so good luck to them.
We were able to book into our rooms early, so the chance of a shower was much appreciated after the overnight train trip.
Lunch was in an isolated 'out-of-the-way' place, but it was superb, as all our meals have been.
The gardens and surrounds were very quiet and peaceful. Did someone say 'serenity'?
It's always hard to restart after a large lunch (all supplied lunches and dinners have been a minimum of 7 or 8 courses), but we are getting used to it after a lot of practice.
After lunch this time, we are off to see the tombs and memorials of some of the last kings and emperors of Vietnam. My notes will be brief and sketchy, despite our guide, Binh, being very thorough and explicit; but I'm presuming those who want to follow up anything have Google and Wikipedia at their disposal for verification.
The first stop was at the tomb of Tu Duc, who was the 4th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. He reigned from 1847 to 1883. It was a turbulent time, with Tu Duc being handed the throne by his father, despite there being an older brother, Hong Bao, who was considered a moderate.
Tu Duc was staunchly opposed to foreigners and oppressed them, especially the French who had missionaries in the country. Tu Duc had rebellion brewing from many sides, focussing around the overlooked brother, Hong Bao. Firstly, there were Confucian scholars who felt family hierarchy had been dishonoured; then there were peasants opposed to taxation, also, the Catholic population who were being persecuted, and not to mention corrupt mandarins. Tu Duc suppressed the rebellion and was set to execute his brother, but their mother intervened. Then the overlooked, older brother, Hong Bao, killed himself in prison. It became too much for the French with the persecution of their missionaries so they invaded in 1848. China initially helped Vietnam but then withdrew.
This put Tu Duc in a difficult situation: he couldn't defeat the powerful French military on his own and even if he won, there were too many supporters of an internal rebellion - so as a political manoeuvre, he gave up South Vietnam to the French as a French colony (which they called Cochinchin - later Indochina) and North Vietnam became a French Protectorate.
Tu Duc was staunchly opposed to foreigners and oppressed them, especially the French who had missionaries in the country. Tu Duc had rebellion brewing from many sides, focussing around the overlooked brother, Hong Bao. Firstly, there were Confucian scholars who felt family hierarchy had been dishonoured; then there were peasants opposed to taxation, also, the Catholic population who were being persecuted, and not to mention corrupt mandarins. Tu Duc suppressed the rebellion and was set to execute his brother, but their mother intervened. Then the overlooked, older brother, Hong Bao, killed himself in prison. It became too much for the French with the persecution of their missionaries so they invaded in 1848. China initially helped Vietnam but then withdrew.
This put Tu Duc in a difficult situation: he couldn't defeat the powerful French military on his own and even if he won, there were too many supporters of an internal rebellion - so as a political manoeuvre, he gave up South Vietnam to the French as a French colony (which they called Cochinchin - later Indochina) and North Vietnam became a French Protectorate.
Tu Duc had no children because he was impotent from smallpox, so the throne passed to an adopted son as heir, who lasted only 3 days before being overthrown by an internal rebellion. (And we thought our politics were unstable and turbulent!)
Tu Duc was not the last emperor of Vietnam, but is often considered to be, mainly because he was the last to rule in his own right, unencumbered by outside interference.
Anyway, I have to admit I had to do a touch of research on this so if you want more information, try the link below
The grounds, tombs and buildings were quite grand.
There were quiet spaces around the area, because apparently, despite his stern rule, he was a gentle, well educated man who wrote poetry etc. His wife and many concubines are buried in the same estate.
The actual site of his burial is not known, because at the time, those he oppressed would have raided the tomb and his corpse would have been beaten as a form of ceremonial and symbolic revenge. Hence, not only is his burial site unknown, but the workers who buried him were executed to protect the secret. Charming!!
Restoration of the memorial in the general vicinity of his probable grave is occurring now, so a picture on the screened off scaffolding is the best we can do.
Another memorial nearby.
A stop on the road to view the making of incense sticks. These are made from the beaten and mashed leaves and sticky residue of the kapok tree. Some of us remember kapok being used as a filler for pillows and mattresses
The residue is rolled around a small cane stick.
Another tomb. This one is of Khai Dinh. He was the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty and reigned from 1916 to 1925.
He was cooperative and collaborative with the French Government and so was very unpopular with the Vietnamese people, accused of 'selling out his people and living in Imperial luxury while his people starved'. In fact, one fellow called Nguyen Ai Quoc (later, better known as Ho Chi Minh) wrote a play about him ridiculing him about 'being all grand appearance and ceremony but a powerless puppet of the French Government'. Kai Dinh's unpopularity peaked in 1923 when he authorised the French Government to increase taxation on the peasant farmers, partly to pay for his palatial tomb.
He died in 1925, with one son as heir from one of his concubines. That son, Bao Dai, was emperor (sort of) from 1925, and after the Japanese invasion of 1940-1945, he was convinced to abdicate in 1945 by Ho Chi Minh. So he was the last emperor of Vietnam.
In case you think I was remarkably attentive as Binh told us about this, I confess to a brief consultation with Dr Wikipedia. If you want more? ... try the link
For dinner that evening, our presence was requested at a Royal Banquet. Suitable dress was required.
Formal procession into the banquet hall and presentation to the King and Queen was a requirement also.
Fortunately beverages were allowed, indeed encouraged.
Entertainment consisted of three musicians playing a flute (or similar) and a traditional, one-stringed instrument (a zither) where the tension could be varied by to give different notes. Quite a pleasant sound. The other stringed instrument was also unusual in our experience.
Two singers rounded out the entertainment....
... and the 'one stringed instrument' musician doubled for a lovely duet.
A group photo.
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