Stretching before me is an archaeological site straight out of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” But this is no Hollywood studio set — Y Khiem Vien and Tri Khiem Vien are the real McCoys. The ruins are about 5 miles south of Hue, Vietnam’s capital from 1802 to 1945.
Emperor Tu Duc’s courtesans’ inner sanctum is part of Tu Duc Tomb, a sprawling, walled compound. Ironically, every structure’s name includes the word “Khiem,” or “modesty.”
Tu Duc Tomb’s kept women lived in style. The visitor can glimpse their wardrobes, with many colorful ao dai — Vietnam’s national costume — hanging on a rack. There’s an indoor stage, the Minh Khiem theater, and amphitheater since concubines were skilled performers, presenting classical operas and variety shows.
The Tu Duc Tomb complex, which covers a 29-acre expanse of pine forest in Thuong Ba valley, was built by the Nguyen dynasty from 1814 to 1931. Passing through the Vu Khiem entranceway, one glimpses Luu Khiem Lake, with Monet-like water lily pads drifting near two pavilions, Xung Khiem and Du Khiem, where the emperor wrote, read and reposed.
In what looks like a red-and-golden-hued throne room, dragons are emblazoned upon the walls and ceiling. Dragons, which symbolize the emperor, are Tu Duc Tomb’s leitmotif.
Indeed, banisters hewn out of stone are sculpted in the shape of dragons snaking down steps leading to a pagodalike structure on these terraced grounds. Gargoyle-like masks and life-size elephant statues protect rooftops and courtyards.
The emperor is encrypted at Tu Duc Tomb, as is his No. 1 wife, Empress Le Thien Anh. Tu Duc, last emperor of an independent Vietnam, inscribed his autobiography on ’Nam’s biggest stone stele, at Bi Dinh, or Stele Pavilion, guarded by traditionally garbed civilian and military mandarin statues.
Luxury
If Tu Duc Tomb’s Asian aesthetic was fit for an emperor, La Residence’s French elan was worthy of a governor-general — literally. In 1930, a colonial-style mansion was built for French Resident Superieure in Hue. From this posh perch, Paris’ governor-general presided over France’s Indochina empire, which it had seized by the 1880s. Part of that original structure remains as the Old Wing, a key ingredient of what is now the five-star La Residence, which was expanded, rebuilt and renovated in high ceilings, arched hallways and art deco panache. La Residence is an urban oasis bounded by the Perfume River.
Dining at Le Parfum is a gastronomic extravaganza, offering mouthwatering Asian and European cuisine on artistically designed plates. These culinary gems are overseen by Executive Chef Thua An, who — after years of cookery in Bora Bora and New Caledonia five-stars — returned to Hue, his birthplace. At Le Parfum, Mr. An renders delightful dishes, including deliciously sweet cream of pumpkin and coconut soup flavored with Vietnamese vanilla or roasted Nah Trang lobster with garlic butter, sauteed mushrooms, tagliatelle and pomelo salad. An extensive international wine list is available.
In the luxurious Resident Suite, the ceramic tiled bathroom, with bear claw bathtub, double sink and portholes, is larger than most hotel rooms. Its top-floor windows and verandah bestow sweeping views of the garden, river and jungle beyond.
Complicated history
Propaganda hailing the Viet Minh victory punctuates Hue, where battle tactician Gen. Giap, plus Ho Chi Minh, attended Quoc Hoc High School, as did my guide, Lan, whose mother was a Viet Cong nurse.
In the north of what was once South Vietnam, Hue is south of the former Demilitarized Zone. During 1968’s Tet offensive, Hue was a brutal battleground pitting U.S. and allied Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldiers against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. Ferocious house-to-house street fighting lasted a month.
The combat was so fierce that Walter Cronkite flew to cover Tet, reporting: “If the communist intent was to take and seize the cities, they came closer here in Hue than anywhere else.” On Feb. 27, 1968, shortly after Marines retook Hue, Cronkite aired his famous broadcast urging a negotiated end to the stalemate. President Johnson lamented: “If I lost Walter Cronkite, I’ve lost the country.”
Much of Hue’s vicious fighting took place at the Citadel, a vast, fortified complex that the Nguyen dynasty built from 1805 to 1832. To get there, we cross the Perfume River’s north bank on a flag-lined bridge bombed during the war, then rebuilt, and ride across a narrower bridge over a moat. Dismounting on foot, we enter a tunnellike gate into the awe-inspiring Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Within the massive walls is the labyrinthine Imperial City and, inside of it, the Forbidden Purple City, or Tu Cam Thanh, where royal residences stood. The buildings bear names such as Palace of Supreme Harmony and Pavilion of Dazzling Benevolence.
Back at La Residence, through an interpreter, I ask my short but sturdy, gray-haired, capped cyclist what he did during the Tet offensive. With the inner confidence of the victor — but minus any braggadocio — he replies: “I was in the Viet Cong.” I tell him when I was a teenager I marched for peace; he sticks out his hand. As we shake, my pilot says, “Thank you. You’re a good friend to Vietnam.”
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