Hue - Vietnam

Magun's Compass
Learn from the Travel Experiences of Others

Hue....

After resisting numerous foreign invasions, Vietnam is finally loosing its identity to the tourist dollar.

Coke and Kodak are everywhere, but thankfully, not yet the Big Mac.

Call me a romantic, but the Forbidden City in Hue has a more contemplative feel to it than its larger scale Beijing cousin.

The refined simplicity in the humid, yet cool, tropical gardens of the Forbidden Purple City, gave the former Emperor a truer place to meditate.

For a $5 entrance fee, you will find less tourists, a slower pace, and an interesting display of knick-knacks in the restored pavilions.

Tours can be had from Hue to the DMZ for $15 (6am depart), and to Hoi An for $3 (8am).

You can try your luck with local transport, but you will pay more than the Vietnamese, and probably more than the tourist minibuses.

It's all about your bargaining skills.

$ First to Danang:
(Anything from 10,000 to 40,000 Dong per person; we finalized at 50,000 for two). We're not a Lonely Planet guide...... remember that prices change fast in these countries.

[Guidebooks]

[In Transit]

Asia Index

Travel on trains and buses in Asia, then jump into cars with complete strangers in Australia and New Zealand as Michel introduces you to a collection of characters that bring Nomadic Gatherings to life.

If you can't afford to buy a copy of Nomadic Gatherings, the chapters are slowly being made available online - for free.

You may even decide that it really is worth having a hard copy in your hands; a useful read for those long bus journeys being written about, and for endless waits at ferry ports.

Nomadic Gatherings - Online Chapters.

Magun's Compass