Huế

Từ điển Việt Anh (Vietnamese English Dictionary)

Today's Huế is the provincial capital of Thừa Thiên - Huế.The melancholy beauty of Huế, capital of the last Vietnamese feudal regime, derives from the quiet Sông Hương (Perfume River) weaving its course between rolling hills housing the temples and tombs of the Nguyễn Kings This feature of Huế has been enhanced by the recent addition of many modern hotels and offices on the banks of the river. On the southern bank of Perfume River, construction has started beside the Hương Giang Hotel for the new, three-star, 138-room Huế Hotel. Huế is one of the three biggest tourist centres of Vietnam. Its attraction lies first of all in the many temples, palaces and mausoleums of Nhà Nguyễn (Nguyễn Dynasty) built between 1805 and 1832. The old citadel measures 11 kilometres in circumference with a 21-metre thick wall and a flagpole standing 54.4 metres high. The Nguyễn kings, from Tự Đức and Minh Mạng to Đồng Khánh and Thiệu Trị were buried in mausoleums of different architectural styles. Huế also boasts nearly one hundred Buddhist pagodas and temples. Visitors should not miss Thiên Mụ Pagoda built in 1601 on a very poetic site on the bank of Perfume River, or the Từ Đàm pagoda.=Among Huế's many tourist attractions are Perfume River, Ngự Mountain, Tràng Tiền and Phú Xuân bridges, Vọng Cảnh (Belvedere) Hill, Bạch Mã (White Horse) Mountain, Hải Vân Pass, Tam Giang Lagoon, Thuận An and Cảnh Dương beaches and further north, the Cửa Tùng and Cửa Việt estuaries. Huế also boasts the National College which was attended by patriotic Vietnameses, Duong Mo village with fascinating records from the fight against the French, and the museum devoted to Phan Bội Châu, a prominent patriot during the early years of French domination. From Huế, you can rent a car from the Thừa Thiên - Huế tourist company to visit the system of tunnels in Vinh Moc village dug during the Vietnam war and Hiền Lương bridge at the demarcation line established between North and South Vietnam following the 1954 Geneva Conference. Then you can proceed to Cồn Tiên and Dốc Miếu, famous battle sites where vestiges of the US defence line are till visible, and further west, the mysterious Hồ Chí Minh Trail. Visitors will never be bored by monotony or repetition during a ten-day or five-day package tour of Huế. If you are an admirer of antiquities, you may order a "royal feast" at the Hương Giang Hotel or sit on a "dragon" rowboat (which used to cater for the royal family only) and listen to the mellow song of young girls rowing. If you want to watch the quiet glory of dusk over the Huong River you can hire a room at the Hương Giang or Huế hotels. If you like to listen to the lapping of sea waves, go to Tân Mỹ Hotel on the beach at Thuận An. If you want a completely still night, you may choose Thuận Hoá or Morin hotels. Wherever you go you will be treated to the most varied traditional dishes of Huế, prepared and served by lovely girls dressed in the violet "áo dài" (long gown) which is also a typical feature of Huế.=From Hà Nội or Saigon, you can reach Huế by air, land and water. A twice weekly air service has just been inaugurated between Phú Bài airport in Huế and Tân Sơn Nhất airport in Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh. A similar service will soon operate between Huế and Hà Nội, and arrangements are being made with Thai Airlines to link Phú Bài with Bangkok. In 1991 the Thừa Thiên - Huế tourist company received 60,000 guests including 10,000 foreigners. Investment on infrastructure will increase from 4.2 billion dong in 1991 to 10.5 billion this year.With its present capacity, Huế can receive at any one time 1,100 guests at both state-owned hotels which have more than 500 rooms, plus at private mini-hotels and homes To know more about Hue, please search the entry Thừa Thiên - Huế