Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [220]
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The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué | West along the Perfume River | The Garden Houses |
Boat trips on the Perfume River
A sizeable number of people still live in boats on the Perfume River and the waterways of Hué, such as the Dong Ba and Phu Cam canals, despite government efforts to settle them elsewhere. It’s possible to join them, if only temporarily, by taking a boat trip, puttering about in front of the citadel on a misty Hué morning, watching the slow bustle of river life. A day’s boating on the Perfume River is a good way to soak up some of the atmosphere of Hué and do a little gentle sightseeing off the roads. The standard boat trip takes you to Thien Mu Pagoda, Hon Chen Temple and the most rewarding mausoleums, usually those of Tu Duc, Khai Dinh and Minh Mang. However, if you want to visit some of the others or spend more time exploring, it’s usually possible to take a bicycle on the boat and cycle back to Hué, though double-check this when you book the trip. Most tour agents (see "Listings") and hotels offer river tours starting at $2 per person, including a very meagre lunch but no guide. However, all entrance fees are extra, which can work out costly at 55,000đ per mausoleum. If you’d rather do it independently, the same agents can arrange charter boats from $30 for the day, or hone your bargaining skills at the boat wharf beside the Trang Tien Bridge.
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The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué | West along the Perfume River |
Thien Mu Pagoda
Also known as Linh Mu (“Pagoda of the Celestial Lady”), Thien Mu Pagoda stands on the site of an ancient Cham temple. In 1601 Lord Nguyen Hoang left Hanoi to govern the southern territories. Upon arriving at the Perfume River he met an elderly woman who told him to walk east along the river carrying a smouldering incense stick and to build his city where the incense stopped burning. Later Lord Hoang erected a pagoda in gratitude to the lady, whom he believed to be a messenger from the gods, on the site where they met. The pagoda was founded in 1601, making it the oldest in Hué.
During the 1930s and 1940s Thien Mu was already renowned as a centre of Buddhist opposition to colonialism, and then in 1963 it became instantly famous when one of its monks, the Venerable Thich Quang Duc, burned himself to death in Saigon, in protest at the excesses of President Diem’s regime (see "The self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc"). The monk drove down from Thien Mu in his powder-blue Austin car, which is now on display just behind the main building with a copy of the famous photograph that shocked the world. Thien Mu has continued to be a focus for Buddhist protest against repression and a sore spot for the government.
Thien Mu Pagoda
Despite its turbulent history, the pagoda is a peaceful place where the breezy, pine-shaded terrace affords wide views over the Perfume River. Approaching by either road or river you can’t miss the octagonal, seven-tier brick stupa, built by Emperor Thieu Tri in the 1840s; each tier represents one of Buddha’s incarnations on earth. Two pavilions, one on each side, shelter a huge bell, cast in 1710, weighing over 2000 kilos and said to be audible in the city, and a large stele erected in 1715 to record the history of Buddhism in Hué. Walk inland to find the main sanctuary, fronted by a gilded Maitreya Buddha.
The central provinces - Part 2 | Around Hué | West along the Perfume River |
Van Mieu
Confucianism had been the principal state religion in Vietnam since the eleventh century and the Nguyens were a particularly traditional dynasty. Early in his reign, in 1808, Gia Long dedicated a national temple to Confucius, known as Van Mieu or Van Thanh (the “Temple