A long, and rather gruelling, 14-hour overnight bus ride from Hanoi brought me back into Hue. The last time I was here I only stayed for a day and a half as I was with Frank and Po at the time. This time I was alone, in a private room hotel. As I had already seen the Citadel the last time around, I decided to skip that, rent a bicycle for a few days, and take in the Royal Tombs that lay just south of the city.
Seeing as Hue(pronounced “Whey”, “Hugh-eh”, or just plain “Hugh” based on who you ask) is also commonly called The Imperial City, it is no surprise that a few of the Vietnamese Emperors built elaborate tombs to be buried in. The landscape surrounding Hue, and the roads leading to the tombs, are perfect for bike riding. The furthest tomb is a mere 15 or 16 kilometers from the city and with little to no hills along the way, even a boy from flatland Saskatchewan can do it with little difficulty. In the two days I took to visit the tombs, I visited five. Going by bicycle certainly had its pros and cons.
Pros – Go at my own pace; It’s cheap; I got exercise!; Great views along the way.
Cons – Distances between tombs meant I could only visit a couple each day before the sun set; sunburn; my legs hurt.
Not much to say about the tombs so I’ll let some select photos tell the story!
Tu Doc Tomb
Minh Mang Tomb
Khai Dinh Tomb
Unknown Tomb
Thieu Tri Tomb
As well, I managed to go see the Thien Mu Pagoda which is free. The only cost is for parking your vehicle, whichever it may be.
Thien Mu Pagoda
Car driven by Thich Quang Duc, the monk who burned himself to death to protest the government’s treatment of Buddhists
Looks awesome Corey. Love the big pictures too.
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