We had a lovely ride down the coast from Dong Ha to Hue yesterday, interrupted only by rain as we approached our destination. The day began with some backtracking north to the Truong Son Martyrs' Cemetery - the military cemetery for North Vietnamese soldiers killed around the 17th parallel during the war with the US. The cemetery has none of the austere solemnity of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, or the Commonwealth World War cemeteries in Europe, but there is a poignancy with the conflict being so recent in seeing families come to honour the memory of their loved ones. The presence of these families brings the impact of the conflict into stark relief.
We travelled on to another significant relic from the war, the Vinh Moc tunnels. The signage and directions at the site were scarce, but eventually we found what we thought was the furthest tunnel entry, and began to work our way underground back toward the car park. As we approached the first vertical shaft to descend however, I had a minor freak out. There were no lights or active ventilation in the tunnels, and the passage inclined inward over us as we hunched our way forward, and then quickly reversed course to the tunnel entry. Adam was terribly understanding about losing our entry fee to my claustrophobia, and so I'm not really in a position to comment on the tunnel complex; we had but a whirlwind visit and then were back on our bikes heading south.
We have been noticing family tombs in farm fields and on hillsides since we began our travels but as we have approached Hue, a former capital of Vietnam, virtual cities of the dead have been crowding the sandy seaside landscape with tombs outdoing each other for ornate splendour. It seems slightly curious to me that so much space should be given over to ghosts, and in some small hamlets tomb structues outnumber houses, but there it is.
Hue's UNESCO designated sights, and most particularly the former Imperial City, are a huge draw to tourists. Western food and drink is readily available in the city centre, and there are countless purveryors of silk and knock-off North Face gear catering to the foreign hordes. We were bemused last night to find ourselves among an exclusively white crowd (save except the waiters) at the restaurant where we had dinner as this has been a rarity since leaving Hanoi. We headed away from the central core this evening, to eat with the locals and have our fill of nems (aka fried spring rolls) before hitting up the bakery next door for some after dinner treats. Then it was across the road to stock up on fresh fruit for lunch on the road tomorrow.
As for Hue itself, sadly much of the Imperial Palace complex was damaged during the battle for this city during the 1968 Tet offensive but restoration efforts are returning the grounds and buildings to their former glory. Adam derived more pleasure from the lizards and fish occupying the moat than he did the architecture, but he indulged my enthusiasm as we roamed about the palace grounds exploring the old wooden palaces and masonry gates.
