Google maps: Hue, Vietnam
Hue is just a 4-hour bus ride North from Hoi An. Hue was a capital city of Nguyen`s dynasty Vietnamese Empire for most of the XIX century and French colonial times until 1945 (French authorities governed out of Hanoi though).
The city was basically built out of the scratch following Emperor`s Gia Long reunification of South and North Vietnam in 1802. The city's citadel, the forbidden city and royal tombs aim to rival that of Chinese emperors but at the same time similarly prove the weakness of Asian empires of XIXth century so easily overrun by Western colonialists. It seems like Gia Long`s successors spent most of the time in court intrigues, perfecting the imperial etiquette and economically isolating the country from the foreign involvement. All of it ruined the country which eventually fell to the French in mid-XIX century. The puppet Emperors still pretended to rule out its palaces but basically spent time just entertaining themselves and building around. It is no surprise then that Vietnamese people quickly disposed of them once they finally regained their independence.
Hue was just a silent observer of Vietnamese history and as located in the middle of the country, only 70km South from demarcation zone, it often suffered heavily. For Northern Vietnamese it exemplifies the feudal history and for Southerners it still reminds of the glorious past. The US also played a role here heavily bombing the city in 1968 and retaking it following Vietcongs`s Tet offensive. The historical importance of the city seem to also be the reason why it has so many ideological posters, flags and Ho Chi Minh memorials. It is hard to believe it all happened in a small, but vibrant town on Perfume River...
Hue is just a 4-hour bus ride North from Hoi An. Hue was a capital city of Nguyen`s dynasty Vietnamese Empire for most of the XIX century and French colonial times until 1945 (French authorities governed out of Hanoi though).
The city was basically built out of the scratch following Emperor`s Gia Long reunification of South and North Vietnam in 1802. The city's citadel, the forbidden city and royal tombs aim to rival that of Chinese emperors but at the same time similarly prove the weakness of Asian empires of XIXth century so easily overrun by Western colonialists. It seems like Gia Long`s successors spent most of the time in court intrigues, perfecting the imperial etiquette and economically isolating the country from the foreign involvement. All of it ruined the country which eventually fell to the French in mid-XIX century. The puppet Emperors still pretended to rule out its palaces but basically spent time just entertaining themselves and building around. It is no surprise then that Vietnamese people quickly disposed of them once they finally regained their independence.
Hue was just a silent observer of Vietnamese history and as located in the middle of the country, only 70km South from demarcation zone, it often suffered heavily. For Northern Vietnamese it exemplifies the feudal history and for Southerners it still reminds of the glorious past. The US also played a role here heavily bombing the city in 1968 and retaking it following Vietcongs`s Tet offensive. The historical importance of the city seem to also be the reason why it has so many ideological posters, flags and Ho Chi Minh memorials. It is hard to believe it all happened in a small, but vibrant town on Perfume River...
No comments:
Post a Comment