The wind was cool this morning; the sea was rolling. Three balls hanging from a mast warned the boats that the swell was not pleasant.
Past Thuan An, we finally entered the Hue River [Perfume River], bustling with quite unique fishing boats. A double mast tilted all the way forward supported a huge lever arm, on which hung a net 40 - 50 square feet wide. The lever arm, balanced by a basket of pebbles as a counterweight, was operated by a man running on a beam like a tightrope performer.
The operation was carried out with military precision. The signal was given, and dozens of slender dugout canoes immediately left the dock, rowing vigorously, spreading out in a fan shape. A man at the bow, lying face down, almost level with the water, banged two hard wooden planks together to frighten the fish and drive them into the net. This fishing procedure was unique to Central Vietnam; visitors camping for the first time near a river or lagoon wondered anxiously what the sudden noise in the night could mean.
Hue - Dong Ba River
The scenery is vibrant. Boats glide between the banks: small, brightly painted pagodas stand at the entrances to villages, brightening up the grey thatched houses. This is Bao Vinh, the port of Hue; some of the large boats seem to be watching you curiously with round eyes painted on their prows.
Soon we left the [Huong] River at a large bend to enter the Dong Ba River; on the two banks connected by two small bridges, the first wooden bridge was very rotten, the second iron bridge, inaugurated only a year ago, we noticed a series of shabby huts, stalls, houses built with Chinese bricks but also quite shabby. The embankments of Hue are not very large.
It would be hard to believe that we had reached the capital if above these rickety, tattered huts there had not appeared the dark ramparts and in the distance a massive gate with an elegant three-roofed watchtower.
Leaving the canal [Dong Ba River], we met the [Huong] River again, at this section the riverbed was as wide as a lake, and five minutes later we reached the other bank, a few steps from the Apostolic Nunciature, in the French concession [located on the south bank of the Huong River].
The scenery is enchanting. In front are the large buildings of the Apostolic Delegation and here and there, in the garden, small white houses for the offices. Behind, a circle of green hills, the highest of which is the Montagne du Roi [Ngự Bình Mountain], this mountain range facing the capital, on which pine trees grow, shaped like a screen.
Thien Mu Pagoda - Hue vicinity
In the distance, in the pale blue sky, a large mountain range with jagged, sharp peaks. All of it has a man-made appearance mixed with the majestic: a combination of the harsh nature of the highlands and nature, decorated and embellished by Japanese landscape artists.
There was no trace of a real city. So far, I had seen only thatched huts, villages scattered among the greenery. Strange was the first impression this dark capital had left, with its houses so fragile that a gust of wind could blow them away: one could have mistaken it for a camp; a few huts were pitched under bamboo clumps, right next to the dark citadel.
It is hard to believe that a week has passed since that wonderful morning when the ancient capital of Nam country, the river, the canal with thatched huts along both banks, the dark citadel, creating a sad note in the opera, first appeared before my eyes, amid bamboo clumps and blooming cockscombs. With the warm and friendly reception of the Apostolic Delegation, one can easily forgive the slight waste of time. Is there any way to avoid getting confused about the date when the days pass so quickly like hours?
If I had to follow the probability calculation that the traveler has made in sketching his itinerary in a few broad strokes, my stay in Hue would have been almost over. However, the amiable insistence of my hosts had made the moment of departure seem more distant and fleeting than ever. They insisted that I could not leave without attending a number of solemn ceremonies that would soon take place, including the Nghinh Xuan ceremony, the king's departure from the capital, and other festivals that I did not know about?
In short, there were a thousand good reasons why I was subdued. That was all I did, and it was wonderful, captivity understood in this way was sweet. (to be continued)
(Nguyen Quang Dieu quoted from the book Around Asia : Cochinchina, Central Vietnam, North Vietnam, translated by Hoang Thi Hang and Bui Thi He, AlphaBooks - National Archives Center I and Dan Tri Publishing House published in July 2024)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/du-ky-viet-nam-hue-va-vung-ngoai-o-185241210222554996.htm
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