Hue in central Vietnam was the locus of the imperial government and the Communist government has decided to preserve of royal tombs, palaces and pagodas of the country’s imperial history. The buildings are constructed with principles of FengSui in mind so that the elements of water air earth and fire are in proper balance.
The Royal Tomb we visited is an elaborate affair — different gates for different classes of society, the buildings becoming more exclusive the further into the complex you proceed.
We spent an entire day with a guide who was well versed in the empire and he escorted us through the Imperial City itself with tales of the emperors’ many wives, the important role of eunuchs in the system, and the vying for power. To train elephants for battle, and for entertainment, there were staged fights between elephants and tigers. The tigers, though, had been declawed and not fed for several weeks prior to the spectacle. Guess who won?
It has become stylish for Vietnamese to don traditional dress when visiting the Imperial City to pose for Instagram accounts.
Most of the building elements and decorations have symbolic meanings – like the simulated bamboo on some roofs indicate strength.
The day also included a tuk-tuk tour through an upscale village and followed by a boat ride to the Buddhist Pagoda.
