[RD] Backpacking Việt Nam (2019)

[warpus]

The Four Sacred Animals of Vietnam
And the Nguyễn Dynasty Dragon

There are four mythical animals in Vietnamese folklore and mythology that stand out and are considered more important than the rest. They are the dragon, which represents strength; the phoenix, which represents nobility and grace; the unicorn, which represents intelligence and peace; and the tortoise, which represents education, wisdom and longevity.

The turtle might seem like the odd man out here.. It is associated with the legend that a turtle god provided a sword to Lê Lợi, who used it to drive out the Ming Chinese in 1428, afterwards re-establishing an independent Đại Việt kingdom. If that sounds familiar, it's because the first lake I visited in Hanoi was The Lake of the Returned Sword, the supposed location where the sword was returned to the turtle.

The dragon has been used as a symbol by many Vietnamese dynasties, dating back to the Ngô Dynasty (938–965). Each dynasty updated and slightly re-imagined the look of this symbol. The Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1883) was the last one to do so.

This golden dragon sits right in front of Kiến Trung Palace, built in 1923. This is where the last two emperors of the Nguyễn dynasty lived and worked, although at that point they were no longer independent.

Unfortunately none of the palace has survived to present day and so all you really see are minor hints of a foundation and lots of grass.. That's why there are no pictures of the remains of the palace, there's just nothing there... The far more interesting view is looking back towards the Thái Hòa Palace to the south.

I was also able to find a neat little google maps overlay that shows you a great overview of the Imperial City grounds as well as remnants of the citadel.

When you click the above link, you should be looking south, towards the Perfume River.

 

[Birdjaguar]

So when I look at the google image and try to locate the golden dragon, wouldn't it be at the center of the bottom of the image; just in front of the white rectangular area?

I see they even had a big swastika.

 

[warpus]

Yeah, it's sort of just to the left of that tennis court. The swastika-shaped structure seems to be a sort of canopy for a walkway around the Thiệu Phương Garden, which surrounds it.

 

[warpus]

The Pavillion of Four Directions and the Peace Gate
Lầu Tứ Phương Vô Sự
Cửa Hoà Bình

There is a body of water that runs parallel to the northern edge of the Imperial City, extending all the way from the east to the west inside of the Imperial City walls. The Pavillion of Four Directions stands in the centre of the strip of land in between this body of water and the northern part of the moat.. which is also the strip of land that contains the wall. There are two bridges near the middle which allow for easy access to the pavillion as well as the northern gate out of the Imperial City.

Emperor Khải Định had this pavillion built in 1923 in place of a guard tower as a sort of royal summer house, used by various members of the royal family. It became a popular daily study spot for the younger members of the Nguyễn dynasty. In the next photo you can see the pavillion up top and the Peace Gate to the right, taken from one of the two bridges.

The pavillion was boarded up and devoid of other tourists.. The main draw here seemed to be the functioning bathroom in the only room of the pavillion that was open to the public. It was a great location for a summer house though, with somewhat interesting mixed European and Asian architecture, and a pleasant amount of flowers, bushes, and trees nearby. I did take a short break in the shade here, just to catch a breath, eat a snack, and catch up on some messages from a friend.

 

[warpus]

I made my way towards the west and tried to find an entry point to the Trường Sanh Palace grounds, which is where many Queens and Queen mothers from the Nguyễn dynasty lived.

This could have been an entry point to the palace grounds as well, but I'm not really sure. I continued my walk to the west

The next entry point facing south took me to the palace grounds.

 

[warpus]

Cung Trường Sanh
The Queen Mother's Residence

This is supposed to be the prettiest part of the Imperial City, and it did not disappoint.. although you've got to wonder how amazing it could all look if some money could be put into restoration and maintenance work.

Spoiler :

 

[FriendlyFire]

I see they even had a big swastika.

It was a Buddhist symbol before the Nazis stole it and committed crimes under its symbol
I think that asian countries should at least put up a information panel to explain this at all the tourist sites. Its is not well known and can be a culture shock (especially for German tourist)

 

[Birdjaguar]

I seem to recall that the Asian one is "reversed" from the Nazi one.

 

[warpus]

I seem to recall that the Asian one is "reversed" from the Nazi one.

The ancient swastika actually took on both forms. I have seen both on my travels, although it is true that the "reversed" one is more popular

 

[warpus]

Hiển Nhơn Gate

I exited the Queen Mother's Residence and made my way south along the western side of the Imperial City, exploring another Queen's residence and a shrine where Nguyễn emperors are worshipped. Unfortunately I was running out of time, as on most days the Imperial City closes to visitors at 5:30pm. Employees were starting to point people to the exits, so I started to walk towards the eastern gate, which at the time was still closed.

The eastern part of the Imperial City was the one part I did not get to really get to see, so I was happy to at least get to take a long look at the eastern Hiển Nhơn gate.

 

[The_J]

Guys, this is still a travel thread.

Moderator Action: Fixed. -- Birdjaguar

 

[warpus]

American War Relics

I exited the Imperial City grounds via the eastern gate and started walking back towards a more familiar part of town. This is not the way I came, but I was on the lookout for somewhere to eat so I did not mind exploring a bit.

Instead of food I found something far more interesting.. I couldn't believe it at first, but behind the fence to my left were a bunch of planes, tanks, and other military hardware from the 1961-1975 war. There was nobody around at all, but I could see that there was a wide open gate on the other side of the enclosure.

I carefully made my way inside.

My phone told me that there was a museum nearby and a permanently closed Imperial Academy even closer.. but none of this looked it it was really maintained. I did not see any signs by the gate, but there were plaques by some of the vehicles with both English and Vietnamese text. It looked like a sort of exhibit that might have been maintained in the past, but not anymore.

From what I could see most of the military hardware here was captured and of American or South Vietnamese origin.

 

[warpus]

The above is a North Vietnamese MiG-21, so not all military hardware here was American or South Vietnamese after all

 

[Birdjaguar]

Cool pics!

 

[Valka D'Ur]

It was a Buddhist symbol before the Nazis stole it and committed crimes under its symbol
I think that asian countries should at least put up a information panel to explain this at all the tourist sites. Its is not well known and can be a culture shock (especially for German tourist)

Not only in Asian countries. It's something that would be of interest to travelers in Europe as well, who are into heraldry. One of the things I learned in my basic heraldry course in the SCA's University of Ithra is that the swastika - centuries ago - was merely one of dozens of different heraldic crosses usable by various noble families for their heraldic devices. But due to the events of WWII, there are no forms of the swastika-type of cross that are ever permitted on SCA heraldic devices.

 

[warpus]

Chè

Chè is a popular Vietnamese dessert that's sort of like a sweet soup or pudding. It is often sold in plastic cups at Vietnamese grocery stores and can be found being sold by street vendors. There are many varieties of this dish, but common ingredients include mung beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, tapioca, jelly, various kinds of fruit, and coconut cream.

I actually didn't get any Chè here, but just happened to see this colourful stand from the bridge. It was starting to get dark and it was really easy to spot from a fair distance out. I ended up basically right above it.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Chè is a popular Vietnamese dessert that's sort of like a sweet soup or pudding. It is often sold in plastic cups at Vietnamese grocery stores and can be found being sold by street vendors. There are many varieties of this dish, but common ingredients include mung beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, tapioca, jelly, various kinds of fruit, and coconut cream. .

Did the vendor charge you more for the selection of choices ? Normally I would go for the more expensive options if its a fixed price. Such as taro, mango, lychee, jackfruit
But I dont think it really matters for the western tourist looking for their taste of the exotic, the cheaper ingredience beans, grass jelly and tapioca are traditional poor mans choice still delicious in its own right.

 

[warpus]

Did the vendor charge you more for the selection of choices ? Normally I would go for the more expensive options if its a fixed price. Such as taro, mango, lychee, jackfruit
But I dont think it really matters for the western tourist looking for their taste of the exotic, the cheaper ingredience beans, grass jelly and tapioca are traditional poor mans choice still delicious in its own right.

I didn't stop for any here, I wanted to find a restaurant to sit in where I could eat a savoury sort of dinner instead.. but for a while I was tempted. I figured I would at some point get back there and try it, but I never did

 

[warpus]

Perfume River Dragon Boat Cruise
Tuesday, March 12, 2019

I had considered returning to the Imperial City for a second day of exploration, but instead booked a Perfume River Boat Cruise. This would allow me to visit sights in and near Huế that were a bit further away.

There was a bit of a mixup that lead to the driver running red lights to get me to the boat on time. I can't really remember what happened, but I do remember holding on to that motorcycle..

 

[Birdjaguar]

Cool boat!