Geography of Hue
Hue
is a province located in the northern part of Central Vietnam. It is
encompassed between Quang Tri Province to the north, Da Nang and Quang
Nam provinces, to the south (with the boundary of the Hai Van Pass), the
Eastern sea to the east and Lao PDR to the west (with the boundary of
the Truong Son Mountain Range). The provincial capital, Hue, the old
imperial city of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty, is 660km south of
Hanoi and 1,080km north of Ho Chi Minh City.
At the meeting of the 17th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in
Columbia, from the 6th to the 11th of December 1993, UNESCO has come to
the decision of recognizing the architectural ensemble of Hue as a
world cultural heritage. On 2 August 1994, the delivery of the
recognizing text has been organized at the Imperial Palace of Hue, with
the participation of many international, national and local
personalities, as well as representatives of the population of Hue.
Great enthusiasm has been generated in the country through the broadcast
of this news. This was a noteworthy event in the cultural history. For
the reason that Hue is the first site in Vietnam ever listed in the
World Heritage list.
As to the cul¬tural value, a World Cultural Heritage Site, like the city of Hue, has to:
- Be representative of an original artistic achievement, a masterpiece created by Man's hands;
- Have a great value for its building technique or its architecture in a
general development plan for a city or in a program for the
embellishment of the sight of a world cultural zone;
- Be representative of an architectural ensemble of an important
historical period; be closely related to important events, to ideas or
beliefs having a great influence or to famous historical personalities.
Besides,
for a cultural property to be internationally recognized, it has to be
fully confirmed on a juridical level, and it must possess a managing
organization ensuring its good conservation. The architectural ensemble
of Hue meets these requirements; it is embedded with highly humanistic
values, and may be compared with the other cultural properties, rare and
precious, in this World.
In
the closing report of the above-mentioned meeting, the WHC has briefly
assessed the value of Hue as follows. 'The architecture of Hue, which
has been the Capital of a unified Vietnam, built at about the beginning
of the 19th century, combines the oriental philosophy with the
traditions of Vietnam. Intimately mingled with the natural environment,
the beauty and special richness of the architecture and decorative art
of the building are an original image of the Vietnamese monarchy at its
most prosperous period'.
The
fact that the imperial city of Hue is now listed as a World Heritage
Site may represent a new chance for Thua Thien Hue Province and for the
whole country in general. The wonders of Hue can hardly be described to
do them justice, and the best way to discover them is still to come in
person and admire the beautiful constructions.
It
is next to Quang Tri Province to the north, Danang to the south, and
Quang Nam Province to the south-west. This province leans up against the
Truong Son mountain range and is washed by the East Sea, along its
120km seashore.
Hue Climate:
The
weather is submitted to tropical monsoon climate divided into four
distinct seasons: fresh spring, very hot summer, mild autumn and windy,
cold winter. The dry season lasts from March to August. It is hot with
temperate rarely reaches to 39.5ºC. The rainy season lasts from
September to February. It is quite cold with average temperature is
19.7ºC, but sometime down to 8.8ºC. In this time, it rains a lost,
sometime lasts all day. If tourist would to avoid rainy, they come to
Danang City, 108km from south of Hue. In the mountain area, the weather
is cool with the annual temperature is between 9ºC and 29ºC. The most
convenient time to visit the area is from November to April.
Hue Tourism
The
province provides a well-balanced blend of royal heritage and folk
culture. As a matter of fact, tourists discover dozens of handicraft
villages, with annual festivals that are painstakingly organized.
Hue
is also an important center of Buddhism. In Hue and its surrounding
still exist tens of pagodas constructed more 300 years ago, and hundred
of temples and pagodas built in the early 20th century. Besides, tourist
is able to enjoy many traditional famous dishes and find out about
sophisticated handicraft here.
Hue
Citadel has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO
since December 1993, Hue Royal Musical (Nha nhac) has been declared as a
World Intangible Cultural Heritage since November 2003.
Hue Transportation
Transportation by train, road, air and water routes is very convenient.
Train:
The Thong Nhat Express trains from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh stop at Hue
Railway station. The local trains come to some other provinces.
Air: Phu Bai Airport serves flights: Hue - Ho Chi Minh City and Hue - Hanoi
