The Citadel in Hue is the traditional seat of power of the Nguyen Emperors, right up to 1945, when Ho Chi Minh politely asked them to abdicate and help the revolution. Apparently he did and was asked by Ho to go to France to buy arms to fight, well the French actually. Sadly he decided to just stay in Paris instead, so that was pretty much that.
It's a huge place, the walls alone are 20 metres thick, and it's amazing to see how these people were living right up to really recent times. It's a bit like the Forbidden City in Beijing, the people only got to see their emperor twice a year and the rest of the time he was in here drinking tea and worshipping his ancestors. You can sort of see how Communism got a foothold when you realise the amount of wealth the Emperor had and the total poverty the rest of the population suffered. Some people may draw a modern comparison between Party and people, but I would never do that. I have noticed that there is a massive amount of poverty in Vietnam, just hidden below the surface. I mean there are lots of Mercs and BMWs around, but there are plenty of people scratching a living selling wrapping paper on the side of the road. I assume it's a bit like the Chinese "Miracle"; plenty of millionaires, but billions of nothingaires.
Anyhow after the emperors moved out the place was pretty much not used for much, but came into the news again when the Viet Cong decided to occupy it during the Tet Offensive. It took the Americans over three weeks to fight about 100m down the road to even get to the place, then another month to get the VC out. And I can see why, the place was designed as a fortess and is obviously very good at it's job, the thick walls, only a few easily defendable gates, a moat. You name it, it's got it. Well except a bunker. Once the US was given the go ahead to bomb the crap out of the place it was all over pretty quickly.
But this does leave the modern visitor (and there are a lot, see pic above) with a slightly odd visiting experience. Most of the standing buildings have been built since 1995 (with foreign money, but don't ask me why a revolutionary government would spend money rebuilding things from the imperial past) and the rest is just the platforms the internal buildings stood on. It's odd to walk around a site that is still basically a battle field. Bullet holes in walls, fallen walls and even some shrapnel. To think this was once a Royal Palace is amazing. It would be like walking round a flatened Windsor Castle after a guerilla battle between the Queen and the Communist Party. Mind you it might make Windsor Castle a bit more interesting.
We got there just in time as it started to get very very busy with Korean and Chinese tour groups. These seem to travel in suit and tie most of the time so you can't tell if they are on holiday or trying to sign a contract for a new factory.
Spent the afternoon sitting on a hotel roof top drinking a few beers and having lunch, which seems to bizzarely given me an upset stomach. Just my luck to get poisened by the five star hotel while the dodgy looking food stalls have had no effect. Needless to say I am having an evening in the hotel in dashing distance to the facilities but this does give me a chance to share so observations on Vietnam:
1] There are so many staff everywhere, I assume to try and make it look like there is full employment. Even the toll booth on the motorway had two people in each box. I suppose they at least keep each other warm in the winter.
2] Everyone in even the least offical job has a uniform like a five star general. The girl on the train whose only job seemed to be to tell us to close the windows had braid and five stars on her epaulettes.
3] Vietnames TV is very odd. I suppose because it's free market and communist it explains the Soviet movies, full of heroic proletariat fighting for freedon from their opressive landlords, folowed by Vietnam Idol. Yes they get the singing freak show here too.
4] They really love Korean Boy Bands. There seems to be an entire channel dedicated to this strange phenomenon. I have never seen such a campy collection of non-threatening boys in my life. Apparently the whole of Asia goes for these fellas, yet in the west we've never heard of them. Luckily for us probably.
OK I've been kicked off the computer, outstayed my welcome so I'll sign off. Don't want a 12 year old girl in a uniform taking my name. No time to check my spelling so you'll have to live with it.
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