Imperial History and an Abandoned Water Park in Hué

Originally we had planned to leave Phong Nha and head directly to the city of Hoi An.  However, when we unexpectedly received longer visas (allowing us to stay 90 days as opposed to only 30), we decided to add in some extra stops and days to our Vietnam travels.  The first of these new additions was Hué (pronounced "Hway"), which would be our next stop after Phong Nha.  During the drive there, we saw a live pig on the back of a scooter...it is impressive what the Vietnamese put on the back of their motorbikes.

Before arriving in Hué, we stopped at a couple sites that were important during the Vietnam/American War.  The first was the Vinh Moc tunnels, a multi-level underground complex built by villagers starting in 1966.  They were used to shelter nearby residents and supplies during bombing raids, and the tunnels were as much as 30 meters underground.  The villagers dug the tunnels by hand, using wells such as these to bring the dirt up to the surface (which was dumped in the ocean to cover up evidence of what was being constructed).

Inside the tunnels were 3 levels that were used for various purposes.  The first level was not open to the public, but we saw part of the second level, which was used to shelter families.

There were even maternity spaces, which were taller and wider to accommodate women giving birth. 17 children were born inside the tunnels over the years.

The third level (the deepest) was for ammunition storage and meeting space.  It was incredible to keep going deeper and deeper underground in the tunnels, knowing they were dug by hand and without specialized machinery.  We were awestruck by the amount of work and sheer determination that went into constructing such a massive and elaborate system.

There were various entrance points (also for ventilation) from the tunnels, one of which ended right at the beach.  Walking back into the tunnel system, you could see how well disguised the entrances were.

As we left the tunnels and headed back to the site entrance, we passed many bomb craters.

After the Vinh Moc tunnels, we stopped at the Ben Hai River, right at the 17th Parallel--the Demarcation Line during the Vietnam/American war.  The black and white picture below shows the area in 1961.

We walked over the same bridge that's in the photo.  First we walked across the bridge towards what had been South Vietnam and then we walked back to what had been North Vietnam.

Although the Demarcation Line hasn't existed for many years, it was quite memorable to stand there, knowing the historic significance of that geographic point.  Bob and I visited the DMZ between North and South Korea a few years ago, where the atmosphere was quite tense (to put it mildly).  Knowing that that same tension once existed at this spot, where we now walked calmly with our children, was really impressionable.

We arrived in Hué in the late afternoon and got settled into our hotel.  We wandered around the neighborhood and got some dinner before calling it a night.  The next day, we headed off to the Citadel, one of Hué's primary tourist attractions.

The complex is massive--a fortified, 2 km x 2 km wall surrounds the Imperial City buildings inside.

Hué was established as the capital of Vietnam in 1802, and emperors ruled the country from here until the end of dynastic rule in 1945.  Most of the buildings within the complex have been destroyed by multiple conflicts, but there were some restored areas with beautiful architecture and detail.

It was similar in some ways to the Forbidden City in Beijing, but with fewer buildings to visit (because of the war damage) and fewer crowds.

After visiting the Citadel, we walked through the local market.  We always like to see what's being sold, even when we often have no idea what things are.

Chocolate pudding?  Bean paste?  I'm not quite sure.

From there we needed to get out of the heat and humidity, so we found an air-conditioned spot to eat and hang out for a bit.  The boys have been trying to learn how to play pool......Emmett looks quite focused here.

The next day we visited two of the imperial tombs that are located just outside Hué.  The first was the tomb of Minh Mang, which was completed in 1843.  The complex was quite large and included a beautiful lake.

We also visited the tomb of Khai Dinh, which was completed in 1931 and is a blend of Eastern and Western architecture.

We really liked these statues!

The final stop on our tour was at the Thien Mu pagoda, built on a hill overlooking the Perfume River.

Later that afternoon, our visit to Hué took a quirky detour.  Some backpackers we'd met in Phong Nha had told us about an abandoned water park just outside Hué that was "really cool and creepy".  A few days later, one of the travel emails we get highlighted abandoned theme and water parks around the world, with the one outside Hué near the top of their list of "must-sees".  So off we went to Ho Thuy Tien, a not-quite-finished water park that operated for only a few months before it was closed and then abandoned.

We got out there about an hour before sunset and found that a movie crew was setting up for a shoot.  In the center of the lake is a giant dragon that used to house an aquarium.  The crew kind of shooed us away from the first bridge we tried to cross to get to it, but we just walked to another entrance, played dumb, and walked on through.

The inside definitely looked like it could be a good set for some kind of horror movie.

We climbed up and into the dragon's mouth for a view over the lake.

And we passed this hellish mural on the way back out.

From there, we wandered through overgrown paths until we found some of the old water slides.

The information we could find about the park said that crocodiles (!?!?!) used to live in the park but that they'd been removed a couple of years ago.  We kept our eyes open for reptiles, but (fortunately) we didn't see any.

As the sun started to set, the light was really pretty but the place started getting creepier.....I was definitely ready to get out of there before it got dark.  But it was definitely a memorable end to our time in Hué!