A rather early morning, overcast and a bit steamy, we set off for the imperial city of the Nguyen Kings, Hue. Located along the coast between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh on a narrow stretch of land in Thua Thien Hue Province.

We stop at the famous China Beach on the country’s coastline, set on the South China Sea, this is one of the longest and most beautiful beaches in the country. In 1960s and 1970s history, China Beach is where thousands of American soldiers spent a few brief days of their leave in what must have seemed like paradise in the midst of the Vietnam War. Here they surfed, sunbathed, and tried to forget the war they would soon return to. China Beach Vietnam has been featured in a number of films about the war, including Apocalypse Now, and it was in the popular television series named for the beach. Today, there is little to remind visitors of this history.

Then we stop at The Dragon Bridge over the River Han at Da Nang, the bridge was designed and built in the shape of a dragon. It is lit up at night and it breathes fire each Saturday and Sunday night at 9pm.

Lunch stop is at a restaurant of many different Vietnamese delicacies, our favourite the stuffed crab.

The afternoon we arrived at the palace made up of three walled enclosures.  The citadel was oriented to face the Huong River to the east. This was different from the Forbidden City in Beijing, which faces south. The Emperor's palace is on the east side of the citadel, nearest the river. A second set of walls and a second moat was constructed around the Emperor's palace. Many more palaces and gates and courtyards and gardens were subsequently added. The reigns of the last Vietnamese Emperors lasted until the mid-1900s. At the time, the Purple Forbidden City had many buildings and hundreds of rooms.   It suffered from termite and cyclone damage, but was still very impressive.

 Many bullet holes left over from the Vietnam War can be observed on the stone walls.
In the early morning hours of January 31, 1968, North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong soldiers launched a coordinated attack on Huế seizing most of the city. During the initial phases of the battle, due to Huế's religious and cultural status, US troops were ordered not to bomb or shell the city, for fear of destroying the historic structures; but as casualties mounted in house-to-house fighting these restrictions were progressively lifted and the fighting caused substantial damage to the Imperial City. Out of 160 buildings only 10 major sites remain because of the battle. The city was made a UNESCO, the buildings that still remain are being restored and preserved.

Our guide went through the quick succession of all 13 Emperors that graced the throne. The last of the Nguyen Emperors was in August 1945. Unlike other dynasties, the Nguyen did not bury its deceased in their native village, instead their imperial tombs lie scattered on the hillsides on either side of the Perfume River to the south of Hue.   Although the dynasty had 13 kings, only seven of them reigned until their deaths and it is these who are laid to rest in this valley of kings.

The site feels so grand and is easy to imagine active with the Emperor of the time receiving local dignitaries and foreign diplomats.

After that very interesting history lesson, it's only a short drive away from the imperial city, were we check in at the Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort and Spa. A beautiful dinner was provided in the tranquil resort, the dessert won the best dish tonight - passionfruit mouse.