Pagodas and Imperial Tombs, Hue

Boat trips to the Imperial tombs

One of the best day trips from Hue is to take a boat upstream to visit the imperial tombs and pagodas. You can go on an organised trip with other tourists, or just rent a boat yourself.

Most boats are moored near the Trang Tien Bridge. Any tourist walking along the bank will be asked if they want to hire a boat.

The photograph on the left shows a young boy on the prow of one of these boats. Often the whole family will work and sleep on the boat. The father will drive, the mother will cook the lunch and sell souvenirs and drinks, and the kids will clean and generally help out when they are not in school.

Thien Mu Pagoda was a site of anti-government protest in the 1960s. The government then was very pro-Catholic and anti-Buddhist. It was from here that the first monk travelled to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and publicly burnt himself to death to draw the world's attention to the actions of the government.

More self-immolations followed, and if this was not shocking enough, the reaction of the then president's sister-in-law was. She is reported to have called the self-immolations barbecue parties, and said "Let them burn and we shall clap our hands."

In the 1980s there were anti-Communist demonstrations here, but thankfully today things are quiet and peaceful, as the photograph below shows. This is a hut where monks and others can retire to read the sutras, or just meditate.