Hué 2

Unfortunately the walking tour that I had signed up for had been cancelled so I would have to explore Hué on my own. These are the tour boats again, in morning light.

One in use in the middle of the river.

I crossed the river on the pedestrian walkway of the road bridge. I passed hawkers of fruits, mostly oranges, carrying their load to the city. Vietnam is still a developing country, although it has made great strides in recent years and foreign investment capital is flowing in, as evidenced by the construction all over the place.

I stopped briefly to buy some water and a snack at the Co-op Mart, which was just a supermarket on the ground floor and household goods on the first floor. It even had a Lotteria (Korean hamburger chain) in it. But I was more interested in the Dong Ba market. This had household goods and produce for sale.

Lots of those dragon fruits again.

I debated with myself whether to visit the citadel, the palace of the old Nguyễn dynasty. In the end I decided I wasn't that interested in history so took some pictures of the exterior of the citadel.

For a light lunch I visited La Boulangerie Française. The special thing about this establishment is that it trains underprivileged Vietnamese youngsters in baking arts to help them find a career in the catering industry. Then I napped the hot afternoon away. It was a pity to sleep away holiday time, but I didn't really feel like walking around in the heat.

Usually I prefer to break new ground, but Nina's Café was a good thing so I went back. They recognised me from the night before. I had some noodles with pork strips in a peanut sauce.

I treated myself to a dessert of sweet beans in coconut milk and ice, a common dessert in South East Asia.

Wandering further down the river promenade I came across a cultural performance. A female duo was playing what I think was the đàn tranh, a Vietnamese zither. It was very lyrical.

There was also a traditional furniture gallery nearby.

This is the night market under the bridge that I was too tired to explore the night before. There were some odd foods like snails.

The bridge is decorated with LED lights that change colour.

I finished the evening with a nightcap at The One Coffee Shop again.