Days 89-90 Friday-Saturday, April 12-13, 2024, Hue (Chan May), Vietnam

Arrival: 10:00 Overnight in Port Departure: 13:00

There is nothing around this port other than a coal distribution port. The main city in the area is an hour away in Hue as we found out while travelling to the Around the World Special Event - "A Royal Night in Hue Royal Citadel".

Located on the banks of the Huong River, the city of Hue has a population of approximately 653K it was the former imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty.

The city of Hue is an UNESCO World Heritage site due to its historic monuments. One of these monuments is the Imperial City. We had a ship tour booked here to walk on the grounds to see the shrines and gardens. However, since we would be returning to the Palace that evening, we cancelled it.

There are approximately 400 passengers and ship crew attending this event, with large buses used to transport us to the venue commencing at 16:00. The last bus which we were on departed around 16:45. Each of us were given ankle length robes for the event. The temperature was extremely hot so it may have been a good idea to wear shorts if I had known about the robes.

Night has fallen as we reached Hue, and we certainly did not know what was in store for us. Street lighting was very limited, and the congested vehicle traffic made it somewhat difficult to make our way towards the citadel. The size of the buses prevented them from entering the palace ground which made walking for some guests very difficult. As we make our way to the Palace, we can hear trumpeters and drummers welcoming us. Each of us were given fans which came in handy during the night.

One drawback to the palace grounds was it was not suited for people with mobility issues as no ramps were available for those in scooters and walkers.

Once we picked up a drink it was off to find our table based on our bus number. We were lucky and found our table directly in front of the stage.

During dinner, a Vietnamese show was performed so it was good to be up front.

The big problem occurred at the end of the evening when all of us left. Again, we waited for our guide and followed him out in a different direction as smaller buses were allowed to drive into the grounds to pick up passengers. We decided to walk back to the bus but during all the time I was thinking are we going the right way.

I heard some people fell while at the event or when returning to the buses. That should not have happened. I am not sure whether this was the best place for an event when people needed to walk up to two or three kilometers return to the bus.

But that is my opinion.

The next day was an early departure at 13:00 cruising towards Nha Trang 306 nautical miles away.

Janice decided to forego Bridge for the afternoon and instead take in a leisurely pool day. Remember I mentioned this being a coal port. Well, that morning a ship began loading coal. Coal dust was everywhere around the pool, pool deck, deck chairs, and all cabin balconies. The cruise director indicated because of this the pool area and walking track were closed and that people should refrain from using their balconies as they would be bringing coal dust into the cabins. Oh well the pool will have to wait for another day.