la residence hotel & spa on asian journeys magazine
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The Golden Age of
When I first visited Hue,
Vietnam in 2002 my
only memory was of an
overcast drizzling dull gray
that didnt allow the day in. My recent visit
replaced that image with scenes from that of
the sprawling Citadel almost as impressive
as the Forbidden City to green fields and a
classic hotel born and reborn in the Golden
Ages of Travel.
History in DollopsFarah and I had stood in one of the few
places of shelter adjacent to the walls of
the Citadel listening to our guide tell us of
the history. Not one word sunk into my mind
because it was already soaked with rain
water. It rained constantly for the 48 hours
we were in Hue.
When I recently returned to Hue the
rain was still there, but only in occasional
sprinkles, while history was there in dollops.
Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to
1945. Why? Earlier than 1802 what we once
called North Vietnam decided it needed more
land so it invaded what we once called South
Vietnam. The rulers thought it would be
expedient to move the capital to Hue, which
is in the middle of the country. There the
capital remained until the end of World War
II. Subsequently the country split into North
and South Vietnam with Hanoi once again
becoming the capital of the North and Saigon
the capital of the south.
Most people outside of Vietnam dont know that Hue was oncethe capital of Vietnam. The Vietnamese are proud of their longand fascinating history and culture writes Floyd cowan aftervisiting the former Imperial capital.Hue
A Dynamic DynastyWhat is important to travellers is that the
Nguyen Dynasty, last of Vietnams Royal
families, left their imprint on the landscape of
Hue. Seven of the 13 kings had tombs that
they were built in the hilly region southwest
of the Citadel. Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu
Tri, Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Dong Khanh and Khai
Dinh all built tombs during their reign, and
some of them served as summer homeswhile the Kings were alive giving them a
place to escape the pressures of the Citadel.
We visited the tomb of Tu Duc on the second
day of our all too brief visit.
We arrived on a Vietnam Airways flight
from Hanoi and as we drove from the airport
to La Rsidence Hotel & Spa, the elegantly
beautiful Accor hotel in their MGallery
collection, I watched the passing scenery
thinking how little it matched my memories.
There was almost nothing about this trip that
overlapped.
The we on this trip were Australian
journalists Rae Wilson, Dominic Burke
and Theresa Paris with Chi Nguyen, Accor
Marketing & Communications Manager,
Vietnam, and Cynthia Dammerer, PR for
Press Trips for Accor in Asia, who had
designed an excursion that was to take us to
so many interesting places.
On the ThroneAnthony J Gill, General Manager and Dang
Xuan Phuoc, Director of Sales greeted us at
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historicAsia
La Rsidence. We had little time to get to our
room, do what we needed to and get back to
the lobby for our visit to the Citadel.
Sitting in the bathroom, as one does, I
was looking at the bathtub and thinking how
different our time is from the Golden Age of
Travel (from about 1900 to World War II)
which the La Rsidence originated in. To get
to Hue one probably would have travelled
a day or two over soul disrupting roads, in
tropical heat and humidity or pressed on by
Hues persistent rain. Upon arriving at the
hotel you might well have soaked in the tub,
sprawled on the bed then dressed for dinner.
You would not have rushed into the shower
after an hours flight from a distant locationand then headed out in the slowly gathering
evening, to explore the Citadel. We did.
At the sweeping entrance to La Rsidence,
as grand hotels from the Golden Age of
Travel tended to have, bicycle rickshaws
awaited to convey us to the Citadel where
Tung, our knowledgeable and opinionated
guide, gave us a quick tour of a vast complex
that needed much more time, and better light
to explore.
When the French InterferedI always enjoy riding in the pedal rickshaws
as you glide along the streets, close to
The Colour PurpleTung explained that the Forbidden Purple
City was built on the same design as Beijings
Forbidden City, based on Fung Shui principals
with water elements in the middle of the
complex. Purple was the Royal colour.
The government has made a huge
investment to restore, not just the Citadel,
but all the historic buildings in Hue by 2020
which is great news for visitors. Chi had
visited the Citadel some years earlier and she
said that there were a lot of new buildings
that she hadnt seen before.
The French army had shelled the building,
and removed or destroyed nearly all its
treasures. Most of the buildings in theForbidden City were destroyed by fire in
1947 and at its lowest point less than one
third of the original buildings remained.
In the Fading LightTung lead us through part of the grounds,
along tree-lined lanes and past impressive
gates and walls and buildings in various state
of repair. I had a hard time keeping up with
the group as everything seemed worthy of a
photograph from several different angles.
The light was dying so I hustled on
there was dinner to look forward to at La
Rsidence. Anthony and Xuan Phuoc gave
everything. One night in Chiang Mai, very late,
we got five, or was it seven people? (anyway
it was an odd number) in a rickshaw at thedrivers urging.
Tung was an interesting guide, not just for
his abundant information, but because he
repeated several times, when the French
interfered with our country which I think
succinctly describes the colonial period.
During its heyday the Citadel was home to
200,000 people and present day Hue is just
shy of one million. It had residences for the
kings of course, for their widowed mothers
and for all the officials and hangers on that
were needed to make the government work
and life better. Not to forget the residence for
the concubines.
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us a tour and the history of the hotel that was
built in the 1930s
La Comfort & CharmWith 122 rooms and suites, La Rsidence
Htel & Spa is a boutique hotel where a lot of
care and though has been taken to preserve
the charm, comfort and atmosphere of a
classic colonial villa. Pictures and paintings
bring back local characters and scenes. The
pastel colours provide an intriguing feeling
of sophisticated comfort without dampening
the sense of happening. There were a lot
of people in the lounges, in the nooks and
crannies, doing things. Quietly.
We poked our noses into a number of rooms
all of which have every modern convenience.
The atmosphere of a bygone age is captured
through the use of local materials, art deco
inspired design and careful attention to
detail. It was done so well that I didnt realise
my room was in the new wing that had
been added in 2003 for the opening of the
expanded hotel in 2005. In the 1980s it had
been a government hotel so you can imagine
what a delight that wouldve been.
I could easily imagine myself having a
romantic dinner for two on the roof top
Governors Terrace, or enjoying a cocktail
party there as other celebrities have done.
But I didnt have to imagine as we were soon
enjoying an excellent meal with excellent
company in a truly beautiful setting when we
went for dinner on terrace off the Le Parfum
restaurant.
Creative AsiansAs the website explains, At Le Parfum
the chefs like to experiment with creative
Asian, Vietnamese and European flavours.
As at the heart of every dish are the very
best of Vietnams fresh and vibrant produce
combined with top quality imported specialty
ingredients. To really appreciate what that
means you must enjoy a meal there. The
food was truly an experience as was the
entire dinner that was served in a warm and
generous manner.
Anthony continued to support the
impression I have of hotel General Managers.
As a group, they are charming, well-educated
and knowledgeable while being very
hospitable. Anthony went out of his way to
help me with a small matter that I greatly
appreciated.
We packed our bags and had them loaded
in the mini-van at 9:00am even though our
flight wasnt until late afternoon. Sadly, we
wouldnt return to La Residnce on this trip,
but we had an intriguing time ahead of us.
Meeting Tu DucWe drove to those rolling hills with Tung
talking non-stop about his countrys history.
We only had time to visit one tomb and
Tung had chosen that of Emperor Tu Duc.
I asked him why he had chosen this one.
It represents more traditional architecture
and culture, Tung replied of King number
four. King number 12s tomb looks like a
European castle.
The grounds are extensive and the
buildings in good repair. Are the others in as
good shape as this one? I asked Tung. Yes,
he replied. It took us all morning to wanderthe grounds, to read some of the history, to
photograph and enjoy the architecture and
statues and ponds. There are six more I wish
to visit which would make a fascinating trip
to Hue if you were to visit all, two a day.
Emperor Tu Duc was born in 1829 and
had the longest reign of all of the Nguyen
Dynasty. (Our Accor guide Chi Nguyen says
she is not related.) The King died in 1883
after 35 years on the throne, but his mother,
whom he was very devoted to, survived him.
She passed away in her 90s in 1901 having
witnessed 10 coronations including that of
her husband and her sons.
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An Empty TombThe tomb was built between 1864-1867 and
though it is called a tomb the Emperor was
not burried there. Having seen the French
rob other tombs Tu Duc had himself buriedelsewhere and is not in this grave. Today
no one knows where he is buried. The tomb
includes 50 monuments and is surrounded by
a 1500m wall. Inside the grounds he allowed
deer to roam as they were used for hunting.
Tu Duc studied eastern philosophy,
history, and literature, and wrote many very
humble works. Perhaps the reason he was
so humble was because he had 104 wives
but no children. Despite having composed
4,000 verses and 600 prose works,
during his reign he was unable to gain therespect of his subjects. In his self-critical
autobiography Tu Ducs last line is: I leave it
to the next generation to judge. Whatever
his legacy, Tu Duc left a fascinating place to
visit for todays traveller.
Some of the things Tung pointed out while
we roamed the grounds: In the gate there are
three doors. The centre one is for the kings
use only. When he dies it is closed forever.
Yellow was the Kings colour. As we passed
the dormitories for the staff: When he visited
the tomb he didnt bring all his wives because
they were too noisy and always fighting. The
tablets at the tomb are the largest in Vietnam
made of 20 tons of stone.
Let Me Come AlongFrom there we left the rolling hills for a very
flat plain, passing along rice paddies, flooded
fields and lakes and canals to Thanh Ton
Bridge which was built in 1776 by a lady of
the village who had the good fortune to marry
a wealthy man.
Trn Th o, who had no children, built
the bridge with her own money as a gift to
her neighbours so they would not have to
wade across the creek. When we got out of
the mini-van to walk the short distance to the
bridge there was a lady singing If you go to
the bridge, let me come along.
We strolled across the bridge and visited a
small museum that had tools from days gone
by, some of which local ladies demonstrated
how they were used.
An Introduction to the WorldWe tumbled back into the mini-van and the
next time it stopped was on a very ordinary
looking street. Chi had promised us a very
interesting lunch location but this didnt look
too special. That is until we walked down the
lane to Tha Om Restaurant.
Anthony said that Tha Om was his
favourite restaurant in Hue and it only took
moments to understand why. Set in a garden
with ponds and flowers and made from very
dark teak the ancient Vietnamese ambience
comes through in every aspect of the
presentation. The owner purpose built Tha
Om using all the ingredients of Vietnam. I
only invite in one group per meal, he told us.
I dont run this as a restaurant, my goals is tointroduce Hue food to the world.
Each course was a work of art, not only in
taste, but visually. Each course was meant to
be enjoyed in a relaxed manner, taking the
time to indulge the senses in the experience,
to marinate in it.
Unfortunately, we didnt have the time as
a jet would soon be going to Bangkok, via Ho
Chi Minh City, and we had to rush to get on it.
I am frequently asked where a good
place to go is, and for those looking for an
encounter with history and culture I highly
recommend Hue and La Rsidence.
La Rsidence Htel & Spa
5 Le Loi Street Hue City,
Vietnam
T: (84) 054 3837 475
Tha Om Restaurant
12/12 Nguyen Phuc Nguyen,
Kim Long, Hue
T: (+84 54) 3527 810
www.la-residence-hue.com
Vietnam Airlines
3 Flights per day Hanoi Hue
T: +84.125.652.22.69
T: +84.169.387.21.66
www.flyvietnam.com/
contact
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