Hue Local Customs

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Conical hats are one of the most common symbols of Vietnam recognized everywhere. But Hue hats are exceptional. Often called 'poem hats', they reflect the artistic nature of its people.
It's not a simple task to make a conical hat. First palm leaves are collected and left to dry in the sun for a couple of days. Then they are ironed and cut to fit a frame consisting of 16 to 18 bamboo rims. And here is what makes Hue hats exceptional. Between the two layers of leaves the artisan puts some pictures or poems cut out in leaves or paper. When held against the light, the design becomes visible.

Our trishaws took us on a tour in the old part of Hue where the locals actually live in and many homes there erect small altars on pillars to worship deities. This is similar to what is seen in Thailand although the articles used are very different, some displaying horses and some even had bamboo chicks closing the front when not offering prayers.

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Hue is not only monuments and sights... it's also a collection of small fishing villages onthe outskirts of town, along the river. They are beautiful tovist, espcially getting there by boat, and catch a glimpse of daily life not affected by tourism... like it would have been in the past.

The nearest is just a kilometre or so from Hue, downstream... so getting there is very easy.

Inside the Citadel, people pay to dress up and be photographed in imperial costumes. This is especially popular with Vietnamese families during Tet. They don't seem to mind if you take photographs of them too. In fact, they seem to quite like it.

At Tu Duc Tomb there are regular performances of traditional Vietnamese music and dancing. These include a performance of "giving birth on stage"!

They seem to start whenever enough visitors have filled the seats. There is no set fee, but audience members can make a voluntary contribution at the end of the performance.

I don’t think Vietnam can be considered as Land of Dragons when we already have Big Dragon (China).

I must admit that I see many dragon designs on almost everything. Dragon, phoenix, and other mythical creatures are considered as lucky animals in Vietnam.

People smoke on the streets but nowhere you can find such a big bamboo pipe neither in markets nor in shops.

Well, I asked this man to buy his own used pipe. I took me a while to persuade but now it is in Belgium

Write up coming soon...although I think the sign says it all

Be sure to show respect when visiting the Temples and Pagodas by wearing appropriate dress and behaving properly

Picture taken at the Chua Thien Mu Pagoda