Minh Mang Tomb, Hue

 Hey from Hue,

It is said that Emperor Minh Mang had been thinking about building his imperial tomb as early as 1826 but he just couldn’t find the perfect location. It wasn’t until 14 years later, in 1840 that Minh Mang finally chose the location for his tomb and the planning began.  Perhaps Minh Mang didn’t want to face the thought of his own afterlife or perhaps it was simply a case of “poor procrastination” , not prioritizing the large projects over the smaller royal tasks.  Located only 12 km’s from the city, wasn’t the ‘perfect site’ right under his nose all along? In the end Emperor Minh Mang paid dearly for his delay.  He died during the construction phase in 1841 never having had the chance to see his final resting place in all it’s glory.  As for the tomb complex, it was completed by Minh Mang’s son and successor true to the original plans.  All the typical elements of  the Nguyen Dynasty imperial tombs are present but architecturally this tomb sets itself apart from the others in the way it’s buildings complement the beautiful surrounding of the location rather than try to compete with it. It was definitely my favourite of the tombs we visited today.

xo Becca

American bunker Picnic, Hue, Vietnam

Hello from the American Bunker,

Today we visisted the American bunkers overlooking the Huong River at a strategic point west of Hue where soldiers were were stationed to watch for any activity from the north. What was most interesting to us was to find out that the bunkers today serve as a popular picnic spot. When we stopped by there were dozens of local school kids were running around, playing games, while their day’s rations were piled high on the bunkers!

xo Becca

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Hello from Halong Bay,

From the moment we settled on Vietnam as one of our countries to visit, David has been fixated on Halong Bay thanks to it being showcased as the final destination in the Vietnam episode of BBC’s Top Gear. I on the other hand was weary that the UNESCO World Heritage Site was spoilt due to it being over-touristed and wasn’t sold that it was worth a visit. Despite my doubts, we decided on a 3 day packaged tour including 1 night’s accommodation on a boat in the bay. Jokingly, we will always remember this trip as our first and only ‘cruise’ experience! The bay is definitely highly touristed but for good reason, the sight of thousands of limestone karsts and islands in all shapes and sizes is truly an amazing sight and the tour staff kept us thoroughly entertained with lots of optional activities including caving, hiking, kayaking, swimming and diving/jumping off the boat into the bay from various heights. And just in case we weren’t fed enough on board, once anchored for the night, we were visited by a lady in a row-boat filled to the brim with snacks for sale at inflated prices including David’s new found favourite treat: Chocopies (something similar to a Jos Louis).

xo Becca

P.S. Even if you’re don’t give a hoot about cars or motorcycles, I still highly recommend you check out the Vietnam episode of Top Gear as it’s a highly entertaining Vietnam travel adventure tale.