Hue

Hue
Now, we are in Hue which is an incredible old and historical city. Hue has been on of the cultural, historical and educational centers with many royal tombs, a citadel, ancient pagodas and gardens. It was a hell of a place to be during the Vietnam war since the city was near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ)and was the site of the largest battle of the Tet Offensive of 1968. It is amazing to see the number of tanks, bombs and granades that have been dispersed all over Vietnam in different museums.

We went for a walk yesterday to the Citadel, where the emperor used to live two hundred years ago. It is surrounded by large walls and guard towers with a moat protecting the inner area. There are beautiful gardens which surround the big palace. I am sure thousands of people were forced to help build the citadel. I know that throughout history all over the world kings, queens, leaders all over the world have obligated or and enslaved their people to build these huge palaces, castles, and special houses well protected, but I am glad that the United States presidents have been sharing the White House to live in without forcing the people to work and live there as slaves (although surely slave labor was used to build it). I am not crazy about visiting these emperors citadel or temples because they represent the suffering of the people.

Around the Citadel we saw some of the tanks that the Americans used against the Vietcong; it is sad to see such terrible machines that cause so much pain and destruction in this small city. I peeked inside of one of the tanks, I could see still a wire from an old telephone, an old rusted screen and some other gages that the soldiers used during the war. There were six tanks and other anti-aircraft. I was emotional and I thought about the thousands of soldiers from both sides who died here. It was a heavy scene to see because I can imagine the suffering of the American soldiers in this land which is far away from their home.

We went on six hour tour where we had the opportunity to visit the Ho Chi Min Trail, Khe San combat zone, the tunnels of Vinh Moc, and an Ethnic minority village and the Ben Hai river (the former dividing line between the North and the South).
The most impressive site to visit has been the tunnels which I have been so scared to go into because I am claustrofobic, I would go in only to save my life. The tunnels are very impressive and many tourist go inside to experience what the VC went trhough. When the tourists come out of the tunnels, they are sweating and without breath. They get a taste of the horrible conditions that the VC went trhough to save their lives. Here the tunnels were strong, but in other places the tunnels were weak and the Vc rebels died sofocated.