Leaving Hoi An was sad since it was so delightful but we had other forts and palaces to visit in Hué.
The 4 hour bus trip took us up the coast, over the central highlands and though the pass that used to separate north from south Vietnam.
The current “border” is now further north in what was the US Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) but the old border posts are still worth a stop and look at for their historical significance and evidence of wartime damage.
On the trip north, the scenery improves as you reach the highlands, but there is evidence that this part of Vietnam is not quite as affluent as the south.
Unfinished and abandoned housing estates and office blocks:
There are some good looking buildings in this area with a distinctly Chinese look:
A beach where there will soon be a 5 Star Russian Hotel, part of a cunning plan to separate Vietnamese from their Chinese neighbours who they fear might one day re-invade Vietnam. Sadly the Vietnamese residents have all been evicted from the area:
The former battle scarred border posts between north and south Vietnam, now a tourist stop:
Paddy files in the north get less rain than in the south and only support 2 rice crops per year in stead of 4 in the south:
The restaurant where had a welcome lunch in Hué:
Don’t know what was in my lunch but it looked pretty:
After lunch, instead of a restful afternoon, we were bussed out to Hué fort and palace complex for more “kultcha”, in the next exciting episode.
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