International Treasures

Legend has it that the countless rock formations dotting the seascape of Halong Bay are the result of a prehistoric dragon's crash into the water, the dragon sent by the gods to protect the country from an invading army. Whatever the explanation, the result is magical.

Halong Bay is one of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites we are visiting on our journey. As of 2012, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization lists 962 sites around the world that are "of special cultural or physical significance." Explore the UNESCO link to discover remarkable places!

In Hue yesterday and today we visited the complex of monuments (the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and surrounding grounds) designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1993. This historic example of the Vietnamese feudal empire, at its height in the 19th century and ending in 1945, brought an aspect of the country's history vividly to our attention.

We are so lucky that someone, some organization, has said: "Hey, dudes. This is important. Pay attention." I feel this way about the National Parks in the United States. Important cultural and physical places are highlighted for everyone to experience. We are so lucky.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Thien Mu Pagoda

This morning (10/15, if my gmail is to be believed) we woke to clear blue skies and the sound of a million scooters and motorbikes passing the Saigon Morin Hotel in Hue.  We walked across an adjacent park to the Purple River, where we enjoyed a leisurely cruise down the river in a broad boat clearly intended for tourists.  Never missing an opportunity to encourage tourist trade, the boat was full of tchatchkes for us to purchase.

Around several bends (and many photos later of low-sitting barges carrying gravel up river to construction sites) we cam to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a seven-story octagonal tower called the "Source of Happiness Tower."  According to my guidebook, this pagoda was founded in 1601.

Walking into the compound, one comes upon a wonderful shrine, where a Buddhist monk occasionally strikes the large brass bowl shown below. Those wanting to pray enter this space, while the rest of us tourists stand back but are allowed to take photographs. The sound of that deep gong resonated throughout. 

What I didn't know was that this was the home monastery of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Young monks were quietly walking to their quarters while tourists streamed through the very restful retreat.  A collection of bonzai trees sat within a courtyard.  Young pines provide shade at the rear of the property, where fencing is reinforced with rusted barbed wire.

The unexpected emotional whallop was the car, shown below.  This is the vehicle driven to Saigon by monk Thich Quang Duc and his brother monks in 1963.  The plaque in front of the vehicle, and the photo behind it, honor this monk who, surrounded by the other monks, immolated himself in protest against the Diem regime.  For those of us who remember the news of this event, this quiet memorial within the peaceful setting had a powerful impact.

Impact of war

Striking to me is how little we see of the devastation from the war, despite knowing that Hue in particular was subjected to intensive street-to-street fighting, particularly the two months following the Tet Offensive.  Yesterday (Sunday 10/14) we visited the Imperial Citadel, home to the last (puppet) emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, and there could see the demolished walls and open spaces where the majority of this compound had been destroyed completely.  But the degree to which Vietnam has rebuilt itself over the past 35 years is remarkable.

Part òf Citadel that hás not bêen restored.

 

Lush vegetation covers remnants of what had been the royal 

headquarters òf the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty.

Driving through the mountain range that separates DaNang to the south from Hue to the north (Hue is halfway between DaNang and the DMZ), I noticed that the vegetation while quite lush seemed very young.  Even the fast growing bamboo and pines were small in diameter.  Huy confirmed this: the area had been a dense jungle, easy for Viet Cong ambushes, and thus was bombed, strafed, otherwise demolished.  He mentioned returning to this region with a Vietnam Vet and his Vietnamese driver who had made the trip between Hue and DaNang at least three times a week, firing his automatic weapon continuously for the entire way.

View from rest stop enroute to Hue

One lasting legacy surprised me: the US flew overhead and dropped seeds of a very fast-growing (can we say, invasive?) vine that quickly took over the area.  This vine -- with its dark green leaves and silver undersides -- could quickly telegraph any movement through the terrain.  So yet one more environmental legacy we've left -- a vine that continues to grow throughout the area.  Maybe not as devastating as the impact of Agent Orange on the wildlife which will suffer for generations from mutation and extinction, but still...

Farming village

 This morning (Saturday 10/13) Huy took us to a small farming village south of DaNang.  He varies the village with each group so the village does not become just one more tourist destination, learning the financial gain to be had by selling lacquerware!

(Aside:  when in the 1990s Huy first saw the historic town of Hoi An -- a 16-17th century trading center south of DaNang, discovered and eventually protected by a Polish archeologist-- he said he was deeply moved by the rich multi-cultural history in its architecture, layout and generations of families.  Something has been lost as it has catered more and more to tourists, even though protected as a national heritage site.). But back to this farming community.

 

We entered by way of a day care center, tucked under a leafy canopy and full of 3-4 year olds who came out giggling and waving, then lined up and sang Frere Jacques in Vietnamese.  (The legacy of French colonialism is still apparent everywhere.)  Beyond the shady cluster of small buildings lay the fields, a tidy mosaic of long narrow bands of herbs--basil, mint, lemon grass I presume or perhaps shallots, and a staple called morning glory-- with modest but well-tended homes around the perimeter.  Groves of cumquats with small green fruits and the occasional white flower punctuated an otherwise flat palette.

 

In the middle of the gardens stood this family grave (the red raised casket-shaped structure) -- not unusual.  We saw many graves amid the rice paddies outside HaNoi, placed by fortune tellers who advise families exactly where and in what alignment will be the most auspicious location for these ancestral graves.



Spread out on the poured concrete patio in front of this home was rice drying in the sun.

Huy is showing us the cumquats (above) and the morning glory (below) which is a staple in Vietnamese salads and stir fries.

  

Outside the perimeter of housing, water.  I wondered if the land in the middle had been built up for housing and agriculture by dredging out these rice paddies somewhat, or whether the river just splits around slightly higher elevation.  Probably a difference of less than a foot, but there are larger berms of soil built up between the wet areas and the homes.  Of course, the ubiquitous water buffalo was not far away.

Moon Legends

We know how frequently similar themes appear in the folklore of different cultures -- creation stories, animals with special talents, husband and wife fables. Just as I was leaving my room for supper, a young woman from the hotel presented me (as a "sleep well" gift) two pieces of sesame candy and a paper scroll tied with a red ribbon containing the story "Cuoi, the Boy on the Moon." Cuoi, collecting firewood in the forest, notices the healing power of banyan trees and uproots one to carry home with him. He asks his mother to care for it but when she throws dirty water on its roots it begins to uproot itself. Cuoi grabs on to its roots and is lifted up to the moon, which becomes his new home. Vietnamese children think that on certain nights they can see Cuoi sitting beneath his banyan tree in the curve of the moon.

I grew up looking for the man in the moon, that shadowy face smiling or frowning down on us. Japanese children see the rabbit in the moon. And there is more than one version of Cuoi's story, as shown here!

Another version of the Cuoi legend

All In a Day

Hello, blog readers! Many of our postings are thematic, focusing on a topic or happening that especially hits us. Each day is so rich and full, but I thought a simple rundown of a single day (without great detail or fascinating facts) might give you an idea of the pace and texture of our travels. So here is Sunday, Day 8:

• Up at 5 am to pack suitcase for our late morning bus trip to Hue
• Walk on the beach until 6:30 am
• Half an hour in the business center downloading pictures to our blog from my camera
• Breakfast in the Indochine Cafe at 7:15 am
• Up to the room at 7:45 to place suitcases outside the door for loading onto the bus
• Gather in the hotel lobby at 8:15 to board bus for trip to the Cham Museum in Danang
• Orientation talk on the bus, by guide Huy, regarding the Champa culture
• Tour the museum (about four rooms of archival photos and sculptures) until about 10 am
• Board the bus for our two and a half hour trip up Route 1 (the backbone of Vietnam) north to Hue City, with mountains on the west and the ocean to the east
• Rest stop featuring Oriental-style toilets and a lovely view
• Arrive at the Saigon Morin Hotel (French colonial style) where we were welcomed with cool glasses of watermelon juice
• Quick face wash before walking to the Mandarin Cafe for lunch
• Back to the hotel for a cyclo ride over the Perfume River and through residential neighborhoods and shopping districts to the Citadel and Imperial City
• Orientation by our guide Huy to the Imperial City and characteristics of Vietnam's thirteen dynasties
• Tour the extensive site, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, on foot
• Board the bus back to our hotel to wash for supper
• Meet in the lobby at 6:15 pm to travel in a cozy bus that can fit through the narrow stone gate of the Citadel
• Enjoy a meal together at a restaurant featuring local food and traditional music
• To bed early, anticipating meeting for a walk through the French Market at 6:30 am tomorrow

Remember: this description lacks the fascinating facts, beautiful visuals, great conversations and tastes that comprise our days.

Did You Know?

From Marianne:

1. Huy said: "In Vietnam no one is allowed to own a gun. Owning a gun is illegal. So, there is no problem with violent crime.   (after a pause, Huy continued) Pickpockets and motorcycles, however, are a problem."