As planned, I took the night train that took me from Hanoi to Hue city. The tickets were reserved ahead in a special carriage. I wanted to experience something different. The carriage had different and fancy (for oriental style) Violette ornaments and the departure was scheduled for the end of the day, around 19:00.
A night train is always a great event. Families bring their own dinner and commune among themselves. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you are invited to join. It’s a fantastic experience. A night train trip is must to thing in Asia.
If you have a change, go for it!
Train travel + Hué + Ho-Chi-Min
The central train station it’s not very far from the city center, but taxi transportation is advised. After a few minutes of arriving at the station without any complication, I enter the cabinet and ready rest, and wake up in the Vietnam countryside
Have to say that after waking up and taking some time to observe the landscape, I was a little disappointed. Maybe, it’s a question of expectation.
In my mind, I had an image of Vietnam full of palm trees in all directions. Instead, I saw a landscape that was nice, but naked of a tropical scenario.
Imperial city of Hué
The Imperial City of Hue was once an enormous complex full of all the executive and bureaucracy you would expect from a country’s capital. It was enclosed within a square fortress (also known as the Hue Citadel), with each of the four walls about 2 kilometers long and a wide moat on the outside.
The plan was to step off the train in the morning, visit the imperial city during the day, and in the afternoon catch another train that I would leave to Ho Chi Minh City
The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City, and the Inner City, giving this unique feudal capital a setting of great natural beauty.
Hue War Museum
It’s enough to walk outside and look at the tanks and airplanes exposed in the park of the museum. Many old war relics such as tanks and helicopters were left behind or captured by the North Vietnamese after the American forces retreated from Vietnam.
The inside is not really worth the money you pay for the entry fee.
