Day 26 Hue to Hanoi

Up early around 6:30, we went down for breakfast only to discover it was outside in the garden which would be ok but there is a heatwave in Vietnam, sweating while we have our morning coffee was not the way we wanted to begin the day. We requested serving trays and took our breakfast back up to our room. Checked the weather report and it’s going to be over 100 F today, so we will be sweating our way through the sites today.

Short river cruise on the perfume river. Wondered about the pieces of paper in the river,   It’s a superstition, people throw money or paper with prayers written on them into the river for good fortune.

More than 100 pagodas in the city. The Thien Mu Pagoda, known as the ‘celestial Lady’ pagoda was our first stop. At the entrance there is a huge bronze bell used to scare the sea monsters. The grounds in which the pagoda lies was originally built in 1601.

The pagoda has 7 tiers, 7 is a holy number in Buddhism.The noise from the cicadas, locusts, in the trees was deafening!
Saw the car the monk  Thích Quảng Đức drove and got out of before he set himself on fire in protest of the Buddhist treatment in 1963.

Five months after his protest his brother and the south Vietnamese president were murdered, as well as the US President JFK in the same year.

It’s a very hot day here!  We moved on to the Imperial Citadel which was bombed heavily during the war. Bullet holes can still be seen In the walls, most of the interior building were destroyed. Several of them are now being rebuilt based on the original designs, while some of the remaining structures are scarred and will remain as they are.

Back to the hotel where we hoped we could get a cool drink and relax a bit before getting ready to depart for the airport,  but no coffee or service by the pool or the café so gave up and went to a local café nearby.

Off to the airport which used to be a military airport Phu Bai to catch sort flight to Hanoi.