Hue (pronounced "whey")

Hue is in central vietnam and between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Little history: During the Vietnam War, Huế's central location very near the border between the North and South put it in a vulnerable position. In the Tết Offensiveof 1968, during the Battle of Huế, the city suffered considerable damage not only to its physical features, but its reputation as well, due to a combination of the American military bombing of historic buildings held by the North Vietnamese, as well as the massacre at Huế committed by the communist forces. After the war's conclusion, many of the historic features of Huế were neglected because they were seen by the victorious regime and some other Vietnamese as "relics from the feudal regime. There has since been a change of policy, however, and many historical areas of the city are currently being restored. 

The emperors ruled from the "Imperial City," a walled complex surrounded by moats with 4 gates at the center of the modern city. Most of it was unfortunately destroyed but some buildings have been rebuilt as part of the restorations which have plans to continue. 

Just outside of the center and continuing down the river are several tombs of the Emperors that reigned here. These are more than ornate structures - they are entire complexes dedicating space to the politicians that supported the Emperor, a stella describing the emperor's life, a temple for worship and of course a building with the tomb itself inside. We visited just 2 of the many tombs but were told these were the most magnificent. 

Also along the river and around the area are several large Pagodas used for worship, like temples. Also Buddhist, these show more influence from China than in other countries we've been to. 

We really enjoyed "modern" Hue as just a city. It's obviously much smaller than Hanoi and has seen some rough times but the people were really friendly and laid-back with lots of cool bars and restaurants and overall we had a great time here. We also celebrated Scott's bday with a food-crawl so that helped contribute to our enjoyment as well!