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 What
do you do in the ancient imperial capital of
Hue
after having visited the citadel, royal palaces, tombs and
other tourist sites? Actually, the central city offers you more
than you’d expect, particularly after dark.
In the late afternoon, many tourists like to stroll along Song
Huong, the Perfume River, that flows through Hue. They enjoy the
romantic scenery of the river, hills, Thien Mu Pagoda and boats
slowly going up- or downs-stream.
Spanning the river is Trang Tien Bridge, which has come to
symbolize the former imperial capital and inspires many poets and
musicians. It also forms the backdrop for numerous music clips and
films.
Colored lights adorn the old bridge, attracting tourists to come
to take photos at night. Not far from the 400-meter-long,
6.2-meter-wide bridge are boats lining up on the river’s southern
bank for passengers to climbs onboard.
During the night cruises, musical performances run for 90 minutes
every evening. The show only starts after an audience has gathered
and been rowed to somewhere in the middle of the river, near the old
ironwood bridge.
Men and women in traditional Hue costumes recite poems, sing
modern and folk songs and explain the stories to that the songs
tell. During the interval, the artists light colored paper lanterns
and let the audience release them on the water, together with a
wish.
Though it is uncertain whether the wish will really come true, it
is great to see the shining lanterns drift downstream. People in the
many boats drop their lanterns more or less at the same time,
creating a splendid pattern of bright dots on the dark, smooth water
surface.
Souvenirs and Hue specialties are also sold before the second
part of the show begins. In addition, you can buy roses to present
to the performers with a tip after a song.
When the show ends at around 8:30 p.m., the spectators can take
photos with the artists before the boat goes back to the bank for
tourists to continue discovering the city at night.
They can go along the riverside street Le Loi, stopping by a
restaurant to try bun bo (beef noodle soup), banh canh cua (rice
noodle soup with crab meat and sliced shrimp) and other Hue
specialties.
Hue has earned a reputation for its wide selection of banh
(pancake-type dough). There is banh nam (ground shrimp and pork
steamed with rice flour and wrapped in banana leaves), banh khoai
(rice pancake dried with bean sprouts and pork) and banh bo (steamed
rice pancake).
Vendors also set up foldable tables and plastic chairs here and
there on the pavement of Le Loi Street at night to sell snails
steamed with citronella and chili slices. It is safe and delicious
to taste one or two dishes with beer while watching what’s happening
on the river and the street. A plate of hot snails costs 3,000 to
5,000 VND.
After the snack, you can keep strolling along the city’s main
streets. An even better idea is to hop on a cyclo to tour Hue, which
is quieter at night than HCMC. The cyclo driver can take you slowly
across the Trang Tien Bridge to the northern bank of Hue and then
back to the southern bank via the concrete bridge Phu Xuan.
The route continues past lit old buildings on Le Loi and Nguyen
Hue streets and past bars on Hung Vuong Street. Many backpackers who
stay in the cheap hotels nearby gather at the bars.
The cyclo tour takes in any spots that you want to see so do not
hesitate to tell your driver where you want to go or ask for advice.
A cyclo ride costs some 30,000 VND per hour, and a cyclo can
carry two people at a time. Remember to bargain before you hop on.
Many cyclo drivers wait along the Huong River and in front of
hotels. Tourists can ask their hotels to arrange a tour to make sure
that they get a driver who can speak English and French. The drivers
often turn into impromptu travel guides with much useful information
about Hue.
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