Hue - Viet Nam

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   At first I didnt think the capital city of Hue actually existed but then I did research and discovered it is known Thừa Thi�n - Huế province, Vietnam.
Below is what I discoverecd about Hue and now I want to go there.........

More about Hue, Vietnam
Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty. It is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people.
Huế originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguyễn Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trịnh S�m captured it, it was known as Ph� Xu�n. In 1802, Nguyễn Ph�c �nh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Huế the national capital.
Huế was the national capital until 1945, when Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and a communist government was established in H� Nội (Hanoi), in the north.  While Bảo Đại was briefly proclaimed "Head of State" with the help of the returning French colonialists in 1949 (although not with recognition from the communists and the full acceptance of the Vietnamese people), his new capital was S�i G�n (Saigon), in the south.[3]
In the Vietnam War, Huế�s central position placed it very near the border between North Vietnam and South Vietnam; however, the city was located in South Vietnam. In the Tết Offensive of 1968, during the Battle of Huế, the city suffered considerable damage not only to its physical features, but its reputation as well, most of it from American firepower and bombings on the historical buildings as well as the massacre at Huế committed by the communist forces. After the war�s conclusion, many of the historic features of Huế were neglected because they were seen by the victorious regime and some other Vietnamese as "relics from the feudal regime"; the Vietnamese Communist Party doctrine officially described the Nguyễn Dynasty as "feudal" and "reactionary." There has since been a change of policy, however, and many historical areas of the city are currently being restored.
The city is located in central Vietnam on the banks of the S�ng Hương (Perfume River), just a few miles inland from the Biển Đ�ng. It is about 700 km (438 mi.) south of the national capital of Hanoi and about 1100 km (690 mi.) north of Hồ Ch� Minh City, the country�s largest city, formerly known as Saigon.
The climate is hot and generally wet (K�ppen Af). Because of the angle of the central coast of Vietnam to the prevailing winds, however, Huế, like Chennai in India, receives most of its rainfall during the northeast monsoon between October and December. It is driest around March and April, but rain may still fall. The average annual rainfall of 3,000 millimetres (120 in) makes Huế one of the very wettest of Asian cities
Buddhism is taken a bit more seriously than elsewhere in Vietnam, with more monasteries than anywhere else and the nation's most famous monks. Famously in 1963, Thich Quang Duc drove to Saigon to protest anti-Buddhist policies of the South Vietnamese government and set himself on fire on a Saigon street. 
Historic monuments
The citadel in Huế with flag tower
Huế is well known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in UNESCO�s World Heritage Sites.
The seat of the Nguyễn emperors was the Citadel, which occupies a large, walled area on the north side of the Perfume River. Inside the citadel was a forbidden city where only the emperors, concubines, and those close enough to them were granted access; the punishment for trespassing was death. Today, little of the forbidden city remains, though reconstruction efforts are in progress to maintain it as a historic tourist attraction.
Roughly along the Perfume River from Huế lie myriad other monuments, including the tombs of several emperors, including Minh Mạng, Khải Định, and Tự Đức. Also notable is the Thi�n Mụ Pagoda, the largest pagoda in Huế and the official symbol of the city.
A number of French-style buildings lie along the south bank of the Perfume River. Among them are Quốc Học High School, the oldest high school in Vietnam, and Hai Ba Trung High School.
The Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts on 3 Le Truc Street also maintains a collection of various artifacts from the city.

Edited by tiffany2010 - January 13 2011 at 2:59pm