We traveled by bus from Hoi An to our next destination, Hue, stopping briefly in Da Nang to admire the Dragon Bridge. If you stretch your imagination, you might see a dragon in the cloud above the Dragon Bridge.
The waterfront looked like it might be a lively place at night.
We often passed businesses like this selling large religious statues in both Vietnam and Cambodia.
Our route took us through the Hai Van Pass - a somewhat terrifying experience. The road was one lane in each direction, and our driver was not reluctant about passing other buses and trucks - even on blind curves. We stopped once to admire the view.
We also stopped once for refreshments. The weather was suddenly cooler but still not too cold to enjoy an ice cream bar.
We arrived in Hue just as the rain began to fall in earnest. Our first stop was the Forbidden Purple City, also known as the Imperial City. This complex was where the emperor, his family, and members of his entourage lived during the reign of the Nguyen dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of Vietnam. Their rule extended from 1802 to 1945.
Unfortunately, much of the city of Hue, including this complex, was destroyed in January, 1968 during the Tet Offensive, but a lot of restoration work has been done since UNESCO declared it to be a World Heritage Site in 1993.
The throne room was quite impressive.
The royal residence sits at the back of the property.
We stayed at a very large, very nice resort in Hue. It felt like an apartment complex.
Our room was in the lower left side of this building.
I loved the huge bathroom. The resort also had several large, very enticing pools, but it was suddenly too cold to swim.
