Hue: A Definite Low Point

I was so excited to visit Hue. I read so many great things about it: its cuisine, people, city culture and history. Lonely Planet even went so far as to name it Vietnam's "most likeable city." Well, let me tell you, Hue was by far the worst place we visited in Vietnam. Its streets are polluted and ugly, its population is rude and pushy, we ate disgusting food in a restaurant crawling with rats (thanks for the stellar recommendation, Lonely Planet) and were rather underwhelmed by the famous citadel at the city's center.

Granted, the city's history is rich and quite intriguing. Hue was once the country's capital and military strong point. Its citadel was home to emperors and country leaders. Later, Hue played a very crucial role in the American Vietnamese War and was the sight of a massive American attack. Much of the citadel was destroyed during the bombing. Remnants of the violence can still be seen in the Citadel's many crumbling and derelict walls and buildings.

After spending a few creepy hours roaming around the Citadel we headed back to our hostel and requested that a car take us away from the dreaded city immediately. We hightailed it out of Hue to Hoi An, a much more inviting, beautiful and interesting place only 2 hours away.

Grass covered foundations of buildings that stood before American air strikes.