Hue

The trains in Vietnam are quite comfortable, affordable and reliable. You have to book, and around Tet (lunar new year) are all full!!  However, managed to get a couple of tickets at the station, thanks to a friendly tour guide who interpreted for us.  Journey took about 4 hours, watching the landscape slip by, while listening to music on headsets.

The alternative is a constant barrage of Vietnamese rail TV. Monitors suspended from the roof of every carriage. 'While we have a captive audience we may as well try to sell them junk'. Mike would lock the producer's/money men, responsible for the mindless crap, into a carriage and send them round and round on a 4 day loop. Then make them buy every single piece of junk they are trying to sell.
Not that there is anything wrong in selling stuff, but its just done so very, very badly.

Arrived in Hue and found our way to 'Hotel Charming'. Got a free upgrade from a standard room to a 'superior' room. Euphemism for 'has an external window'.

Nice people, gave us a free breakfast when we arrived!!  Dumped our stuff and went exploring. Citadel only about 1.5 km away so walked there.

During the new year period most places allow free entrance for all to monuments, historical sites, etc. All the web sites informed us that this was the case in Hue. Not so, while allowing the Vietnamese free entrance, all foreign devils were charged full price. They just took an aggressive stance when the error of their ways was pointed out!!!
This only applied to Hue.... So one place to side step the next time.

Having said that, the Citadel was worth the visit. Built and used by past Vietnamese Emperors, and then by the modern Emperors, sorry meant to say Peoples Chairman.
Kidding aside, its good that Vietnam is looking to acknowledge and preserve its pre-socialist past.  Even if its for the tourist dollars.

Leave you with some photos. Hotel Charming; Lunch; Pictures inside Citadel; Train to Hue.