Arriving in Huế
We arrived at the Huế train station that still had the charm and old feel of colonial times. Save for the modern soda cases, brightly packaged candies and toys hanging from the vendors booths to entice the children stepping off, we could have been in French Indochina in 1930. The train station itself was a French colonial building. It oozed of that Indiana Jones pre world war II kind of vibe. It was exhilarating.
We walked down the platform and towards the exit to a scene straight out of a movie. Just off the platform was a one way walkway to the exit. To board a train one had to come in a different walkway off of the ticketing booths. At the end of the long exit way was a large arched exit out of the station. 15 to 20 feet feet in height, and as many in width. In that exit way was a large iron gate that filled the opening from top to bottom and side to side. In the middle of that gate was a doorway sized opening for us to exit.
Taxi Anyone?
On the outside of that gate were throngs of taxi drivers yelling at all of us as we exited. Reaching through the gate at the sides of the doorway, but never actually blocking the doorway. “Taxi”, “Taxi” filled the air. They were grabbing at the sleeves of your shirts, the legs of your shorts, anything to get your attention and draw your business. It was a bit of a rush. I kept my phone in my pocket for fear it would disappear from my hand in the chaotic melee of the taxi drivers.
To The Hotel
We found a rather unassuming gentleman, not in the thick of things, to shuttle us off to our hotel. A nice enough fellow, he offered us a fantastic deal on some sightseeing the next day. He, or an associate of his, would pick us up at 8am. For five hours they would take us to the greater historical sights, some many kilometers from downtown Huế and for only 30 dollars. It was a deal.
The ride to the hotel was just fascinating. We passed by old sights, famous places and numerous beautiful buildings. Ho Chi Minh grew up here in Huế. This was still the capital during the French Era, and Ho Chi Minh’s father was a government official here. We passed by Ho Chi Minh’s high school and both Diem and the Taxi driver pointed it out. An old French Colonial building, rather large, and still an active boys high school today.
The Rosaleen
So I decided since this was a trip for the girls as much as for me, that I would splurge a bit on our lodging. The biggest request I received was that the girls wanted a pool. I saw this as a more than reasonable request and set on in search of said pool in a convenient location. Though Diem did most of the leg work on this one. We agreed on a hotel, with a rooftop pool, three beds in the room, and all for the staggering price of about 80 dollars for our entire trip.
Even though it was a very nice hotel, with many amenities, it was much cheaper than it should have been. Hotels were in deep discount mode these days. As there are no foreign tourists, and most Vietnamese will not spend more than 5 dollars a night on a room, deals are everywhere. So we have a balcony, refrigerator, air conditioning, 1 queen bed, 2 single beds, a very delicious free breakfast in the room, a rooftop pool, and all in the heart of the modern city for a very reasonable deal. Thank you hotel Rosaleen.
Let’s Discuss Priorities
So we settled into our room that just so happened to be next to the pool. It was still mid afternoon and it was decided, by consensus of the children, that some pool time was our top priority. So we all put on our freshly purchased swimming attire for this very trip, as is typical Vietnamese fashion, and we headed off to the rooftop oasis. It was very enjoyable swimming around in the refreshing water. Though it wasn’t chlorine heavy like hotel pools are in the US, in fact we’ve stayed in several hotels with pools in Vietnam, I can’t remember one having a chlorine smell to it.
A Rumbling of Sorts
We had splashed around for a couple of hours when a noise began to grow. It was the rumbling of my stomach, and it was requiring ever more satiating. The girls were also beginning to comment on hunger. Which had proven their desire to swim was being drowned out by their desire to eat. So we headed back to the room, showered and prepared for a night out in the new city of Huế.
Our hotel sat at the heart of the tourist district of the newer section of the city. Which was great as the streets became pedestrian only at 5pm every night. Ice cream vendors and street shops selling Huế’s delicacies began to fill the spaces as we stepped out into the bustling street.
A Few Local Favorites
We strolled down the streets as they slowly came to life looking for something delicious to eat. Diem found us a cute little street side eatery specializing in some of the ancient region’s specialties. I looked over the menu, befuddled as usual, just enjoying the pictures. Diem discussed our options with the two attendants that came to our table and a decision was made.
Bánh bèo
Within minutes a bamboo basket landed on the table with 14 little ceramic dishes of Bánh bèo. Literally translated as “water fern cake”, it is neither made from water ferns nor is it a cake. Made from tapioca and rice flour, the ingredients are processed into a dough. The dough is pressed into the ceramic dishes and steamed. The soft dough becomes translucent, soft and gelatinous. The banh beo are then topped with strips of fried squid, shrimp and shredded dried pork. Additionally they are served with a dipping sauce which is a local variant of nuoc cham, or chili and garlic seasoned fish sauce.
The name is said to derive from its similarity in appearance to the duckweed, a fern that grows abundantly in Vietnam, known as bèo. To eat these delicious little gems, you simply drizzle a little sauce on top, loosen them onto your spoon and enjoy. Soft, supple, crispy, sour, sweet and delicious. Bonus fact: Bánh bèo is also Vietnamese slang for a woman who is overly “girly”, weak-willed, difficult and high maintenance. The comparison is in the dish’s soft, slightly rubbery texture.
Bánh bột lọc lá
As we began to devour our little light snacks, the gentleman brought a plate piled with what looked like tamales. A pile of little packets tied off with additional banana leaf. I opened one up and found another similarly gelatinous “cake”. Translucent, I could see the shrimp and strip of pork belly hidden inside. Again drizzle with a little sauce and down it goes.
The name literally translates to clear flour cake with leaf, and is considered a specialty in the region. These little pockets of deliciousness are made solely with tapioca starch much like glass noodles. Giving them their incredibly translucent appearance.
Some Sobering Facts
The parent plant of tapioca, cassava, is one of the deadliest staple crops humans produce. The cassava’s tuber is the main source of calories for almost a billion people worldwide. The third most important crop in the tropics, cassava has incredibly high concentrations of cyanogenic glycoside which metabolizes into cyanide in the human body. Poisoning from improperly processed cassava is rare, but can be devastating. In March of 2005, 27 children died in the small town of Bohol in the Philippines after consuming an improperly processed cassava snack at their elementary school.
The cassava is easy and inexpensive to grow, pest resistant, temperature tolerant, high in calories and a vital part of subsistence farming worldwide. These facts alone will keep it a staple for many generations to come even given its dangerous side. Here is a link to the National Institutes of Health study on cassava and the darker side of its relationship to humans. National Institutes of Health link.
Into The Night
We finished our meal and headed back out onto the city streets. People were beginning to feel the restaurants and bars and the girls were in the mood for something sweet. We strolled by a made to order ice cream cart, and the requests were immediate. Diem ordered a couple of cups for the girls and everyone was very happy. We walked around the beautiful streets while they enjoyed their sweet frozen snacks. It was a truly beautiful and fun little city. The fun hub just across the mote from the ancient city.
We made our way to the end of the pedestrian streets and wanted to keep going. It was a long walk around and the girls were getting a little tired, so we did something I had yet to do in Vietnam. We grabbed two rickshaws and rolled into the busy roads of Huế away from the safety of the pedestrian streets.
Xích lô
The Xích lô, a Vietnamese version of the rickshaw, was invented by Frenchman P. Coupeaid. He introduced the transportation vehicle to the then French colonies of Indochina in 1939. It was unique in that most rickshaws in Asia had the driver sit in front of the passengers, whereas Coupieaid’s version had them sit behind. He named his invention the Cyclo, and it’s Vietnamese name is pronounced the same. Only spelled in an unusual way to reflect Vietnamese letter and vowel pronunciation.
We zipped through the roundabouts and in between the motorbikes and cars as we made our way through the modern business district. Beautiful towering and brightly lit buildings sat in contrast to their old colonial neighbors. It was another interesting example of the old world colliding with the new in the dynamic cities of Vietnam. We made our way to the local Vincom plaza, the ubiquitous mall of the nation, and took the girls in to check out the new, glitzy, urban mall of Huế. Our gentleman drivers waited while we explored the shiny new temple to modern consumerism.
Time To Tuck In
We purchased some candy and a few snacks and headed back to the Xích lôs. It was an enjoyable ride back, but we had to stop a few streets short of the hotel. The pedestrian street was still blocked off and even the man powered Xích lôs couldn’t enter. I toted our things to the hotel and we made our way to the room. It was time to get some rest. We had a long day ahead of us. I had an appointment with at least two Emperors and a few surprises. I was itching to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow would be yet another amazing day, I already knew it. I would finally gaze up at the towering citadel of the fabled Imperial city on the perfume river.
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