Munchies for the train trip
by betska
It is not advisable from a health point of view to buy food on the train from Hue to Hanoi. Whatever they were serving didn't look too flash. It looked like some kind of deep fried cat or dog. Maybe it was chicken. Only the locals were buying. (That is, the ones that didn't bring their own food & portable stoves with them)
Walking down Le Loi to the station to buy our tickets, on the left-hand side (the other side of the road to the river) we came across an interesting supermarket underneath either a hotel or office block.
It was called "Greenmart". It sold all kinds of things, we picked up biscuits (like oreos & jatz), cheese, chocolates, drinks etc to keep us going on the train.
DMZ Tours
by 34N118W
Those interested in the war can take a tour of the DMZ, which was the temporary border created at the Geneva Convention of 1954 between Ho Chi Minh and the French, dividing North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel. Some of the most intense fighting during the war with the Americans occured around the DMZ. Famous battle sites such as Khe Sanh, Quang Tri, and the 'Rockpile' are typically included in tours of the DMZ. You can sign up for a tour at one of the tour companies in central Hue.
CAO DAI TEMPLE
by mtncorg
Rising somewhat incongruously along the north side of the massive Celadon Palace Hotel is the newest Cao Dai temple. Outside of temples erected in the US, this is the northernmost Cao Dai temple to be erected. I am not sure what kind of following the religion has this far north from its roots in Tay Ninh on the northern edge of the Mekong Delta next to Cambodia, but I do know that the temple in nearby Da Nang is the second largest Cao Dai church.
Disturbing relic from the 60s
by dinhyen
At Thien Mu Pagoda, a battered green sedan sits in a garage. This may seem strange to those who don't know its shocking history. In the 1960s, Vietnamese Buddhists contended that they were persecuted by the regime of then-president Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a Catholic. In protest, on June 13, 1963, the monk Thich Quang Duc took this car to a busy intersection in Saigon. There, he set himself on fire while remaining seated in a lotus position. The event understandably caused an uproar in Vietnam.
Lac Thien Restaurant
by SirRichard
This popular local restaurant (close to another local restaurant called Lac Thanh) is run by deaf waiters.
There is a lively bar in the basement ground, full of locals drinking and playing cards and so...
If you ask for a table, they take you upstairs, to a very simple but charming room with a terrace. On the way up, pay attention to the kitchen, a real antique...
I asked for some typical Hue dishes. First, shrimp pancakes. Then, rolling tortillas made of rice paper with meat, salad and some sauces... a "make it yourself" dish. And a Tiger beer, of course!
Simple and delicious. Price: 2 USD.
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Drying sticks
Dai Hong Chung can ring out loud and clear
Flag and its citadel
An Dinh Palace
