Hue

After a 12 hours train trip, I arrived in Hue, where I spent just one night, though I would actually advise to stay a bit longer. I liked this city for many reasons. Firstly, it offers an easy access to vietnamese history, since the city was at the heart of Vietnam's imperial past and also witnessed some of the most terrible fights during the war - the citadel was bombed by the Americans, and the demilitarized zone is only 30km away. Secondly, many of these historic sites are accessible through nice motorbike rides. Lastly, Hue strongly differs from Hanoi in that it is a smaller place, with almost no hassle and where people are extremely nice.

When visiting the many temples and pagoda, I realised that unlike Japan, India or to a lesser extent Thailand, nowadays Vietnamese society contains in fact very little tradition from the past, at least in the cities. So far, I had considered Vietnam's history as that of a De-colonised country that faced successive wars. I had somewhat ignored its imperial past: to me, the history of the country started in the 20th Century. Visiting the many sites around Hue made it up. The magnificent thumbs in the countryside (most of them dates back to the 19th century) appear as decaying reminders from this part of the country's past which was somewhat overshadowed by the 20th century wars.

Whilst many travelers skip Hue, I can only recommend to go there. Very interesting and it is easy there to learn a bit of Vietnam's history.

I am now in Hoi An for a couple of days before heading to the South. I'll try to see the game tonight at 2.00 - Allez les bleus!!!

Travellers' advice: the Mimosa Hotel is cheap (6$) and clean. You can go to the main sites by taking a tour in an agency (3$ will get you to see most sites), but I recommend hiring a motorbike and a driver (5-7$). Mandarin serves cheap food and the DMZ cafe is a good place to hang out. Don't forget to go to the restaurant where you're served by deaf people (recommended by LP) - unforgettable experience, and they give you a bottle opener!