Hue and suburbs

The wind was cool this morning and the sea was rolling. Three balls hung from a mast warned boats that the swell was not pleasant.

Past Thuan An, we finally entered the Hue River [Perfume River], bustling with quite unique fishing boats. A double mast tilted all the way forward supported a giant lever arm, on which hung a net 40-50 square feet wide. The lever arm, balanced by a basket of pebbles as a counterweight, was operated by a man running on a beam like a tightrope performer.

The operation was carried out with military precision. The signal was given, and dozens of slender dugout canoes immediately left the dock, rowing vigorously, spreading out in a fan shape. A man at the bow, lying prone, almost level with the water, banged two hard wooden sticks together to frighten the fish and drive them into the net. This fishing procedure was unique to the Central region; visitors camping for the first time near a river or lagoon worriedly wondering what the sudden noise in the night meant.

Hue - Dong Ba River

The scenery is vibrant. Boats glide between the banks: small, brightly painted pagodas stand at the entrances to the villages, brightening up the grey thatched houses. This is Bao Vinh, the port of Hue; some of the large boats seem to be watching you curiously with round eyes painted on their prows.

Soon we left the [Perfume] River at a large bend to enter the Dong Ba River; on the two banks connected by two small bridges, the first wooden bridge was very rotten, the second iron bridge, inaugurated only a year ago, we noticed a series of shabby huts, stalls, houses built with Chinese-style bricks but also quite shabby. The embankments of Hue are not very large.

It would be hard to believe that we had reached the capital if above these rickety, tattered huts there had not appeared the dark citadel wall and in the distance a massive gate with an elegant three-roofed watchtower.

Leaving the canal [Dong Ba River], we met the [Perfume] River again, at this section the riverbed was as wide as a lake, and five minutes later we reached the other bank, a few steps from the Apostolic Nunciature, in the French concession [located on the south bank of the Perfume River].

The scenery is enchanting. In front are the large buildings of the Apostolic Nunciature and here and there in the garden are small white houses for the offices. Behind, a circle of green hills, the highest of which is the Montagne du Roi [Royal Mountain], which faces the capital, and is covered with pine trees, forming a screen.

Thien Mu Pagoda - Hue vicinity

In the distance, in the pale blue sky, a large mountain range with jagged, sharp peaks. All had a man-made appearance mixed with the majestic: a combination of the harsh nature of the highlands and nature, decorated and embellished by Japanese landscape artists.

There was no trace of a real city. So far, I had only seen thatched huts, villages scattered among the greenery. Strange was the first impression this dark capital had left, with its houses so fragile that a gust of wind could blow them away: one could have mistaken it for a camp; a few huts were pitched under bamboo clumps, right next to the dark citadel.

It is hard to believe that a week has passed since that wonderful morning when the ancient capital of Nam country, the river, the canal with thatched huts along both banks, the dark citadel, creating a sad note in the opera, first appeared before my eyes, amid the bamboo clumps and blooming cockscombs. With the warm and friendly reception of the Apostolic Nunciature, one can easily forgive the slight waste of time. Is there any way to avoid getting confused about the date when the days pass so quickly like hours?

If I had to follow the probability calculation that the traveler has made in sketching out his itinerary in a few broad strokes, my stay in Hue would have been almost over. However, the amiable insistence of my hosts had made the moment of departure seem more distant and fleeting than ever. They insisted that I could not go without attending a number of solemn ceremonies that would soon take place, among them the Nghinh Xuan ceremony, the king's departure from the capital, and other festivals that I did not know about?

In short, there were a thousand good reasons why I was subdued. That was all I did, and it was wonderful, captivity understood in this way was sweet. (to be continued)

(Nguyen Quang Dieu quoted from the book Around Asia : Cochinchina, Central Vietnam, and North Vietnam, translated by Hoang Thi Hang and Bui Thi He, AlphaBooks - National Archives Center I and Dan Tri Publishing House published in July 2024)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/du-ky-viet-nam-hue-va-vung-ngoai-o-185241210222554996.htm