Hoi An-Hue

Hoi An's Night Life

And now we are four...with Lee and John, we went out for a night on the town to get a close-up view of the colorful lanterns that is one of the highlights of Hoi An. Everywhere you looked there were colors giving the town a rainbow-colored hue of diversity that is the city itself.

To get another view, we took a 20-minute boat ride on one of the lantern boats. The waterway was crowded with these pretty boats, casting a surreal exciting atmosphere.

We enjoyed this night immensely.

Marble Mountain

The next day we embarked on a full day's tour of the surrounding areas of central Viet Nam. First stop was at Marble Mountain. As we get closer to Marble Mountain, the streets are lined with Marble monuments and statues of all kinds and sizes. Shops are filled with jewelry, ornaments, toys, and other goodies made from marble rocks extracted from Marble Mountain over the years. Marble is no longer allowed to be mined from the mountain, however. Instead, the mountain, with its temples, caves, and shines have been turned into a tourist attraction. You can either climb the stairs to access the mountain or pay an entrance fee to ride the elevator. Be aware of the numerous vendors trying to help you navigate your way to the entrance of the mountain as a favor in exchange or expectation that you to enter their marble craft stall or store.

A view from Marble Mountain

Entering a cave on Marble Mountain

One of the bigger caves on the mountain.

Hai Van Pass

Then it was off to Hai Van Pass in Hue Province, a 3-hour car ride. The pass marks the northernmost point of what was South Viet Nam during the Vietnam war. Though it was an overcast and misty day, it was beautiful and interesting. This pass was once the only link between the northern and southern sections of the country. It is one of the most mountainous and narrowest section of Viet Nam and lends itself to steep, winding roads on the lush green mountainsides.

The old structures of the pass still stand today, overlooking the road below. 

Hue Imperial City

The Imperial city was home to about 150 years of Emperors and the historical capital of Viet Nam. The citadel was fashioned after Beijing's forbidden city with the last emperor giving up his throne in 1945. The city was almost destroyed in the Viet Nam war during one of the fiercest and bloody battles in 1968.

Thien Mu Pagoda

We also visited the Thein Mu Pagoda, a historic temple in the city of Hue. According to Wikipedia, "its iconic7-story pagoda is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the city, and the temple has often been the subject of folks rhymes about Hue.