A few nights after Halong Bay, I had my first overnight train experience in Vietnam. They sure know how to squeeze people into one room – there were 4 of us in our “cabin”. The photos don’t accurately show exactly how small it was in there. I roomed with Mathilda, Amanda, & Laura.
We arrived early the next morning in a town called Hué. Imperial capital of the Nguyen Emporers, Hué was the political center of Vietnam from 1802-1945. The most popular way to explore Hué is by motorbike. This was my driver/guide for the tour:
We visited the Thanh Toan covered bridge; 
the countryside;
the Thu Hieu Pagoda and Imperial Eunich graves;
the elephant and tiger fighting arena;
the former US base overlooking the Perfume River;
conical hat making:
and incense making;
Early the next morning, Mathilda, Amanda & I went see the Citadel. The Imperial Palace was modeled on Beijing’s Forbidden City, while the ramparts follow French military architecture. It is comprised of 3 walled enclosures, each within the other. The exterior moated enclosure encompasses 6 square kilometers.
Editor’s note: I accidentally hit “publish” before putting the Citadel photos up. When I went back to update, I couldn’t have the photos in the same format. You should be able to see a “gallery” below of the photos. Thanks for your patience as I’m still figuring this site out!
Mooventures 