China Beach, just southwest of Danang, was empty on the overcast afternoon we arrived with “Paint it Black” in our heads. With our gear tossed into the $7/night room at Hoa’s Place, we took to the beach for some fresh air, the soft crash of waves a welcome shift from Saigon’s roar. The patterned sand was inviting, despite an assortment of garbage and a ridiculous number of washed-up jellyfish, and some cool coconut-shell-lookin’ boats sat parked on the low dunes. Peering through the ocean fog for a glimpse of Monkey Mountain, it was hard to imagine the history that took place on this now seemingly unvisited shore.
At Hoa’s family-style dinner, we met a woman from Blair, WI who was traveling Vietnam after finishing her contract teaching English in Thailand! And then we were locked out of our room. Yes, a tiny piece of our key broke off in the lock and couldn’t be fixed until the next day, so with our bags locked inside, it was sweet dreams for us in our street clothes.
After getting our stuff back around noon the next day, we explored the nearby Marble Mountains in a light drizzle. Colorful pagodas were built into the hillside overlooking the beach, and the fog of incense drifted from several caves-turned-shrines.
Passing by the Largest Flagpole in Vietnam, we crossed another moat and passed through the gates of the Forbidden Purple City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is the front hall where the imperial family watched processions and ceremonies take place below on the promenade:
And across yet another moat—this one home to a disgusting number of ravenous koi—was an expanse dotted by several preserved buildings, as well as several plaques denoting places where buildings formerly stood, before the Tet Offensive nearly obliterated the historical city.
After checking out the imperial elephants, we exited the Citadel and walked back across the river...this boat was hauling along despite how strangely low it rode:
We happened to be in town for the 35th anniversary celebrations of Hue's capture/liberation, so tiny red flags littered the sidewalks, flower arrangements were displayed in front of government buildings, and billboards were plastered with the propaganda of Uncle Ho.
China Beach, just southwest of Danang, was empty on the overcast afternoon we arrived with “Paint it Black” in our heads. With our gear tossed into the $7/night room at Hoa’s Place, we took to the beach for some fresh air, the soft crash of waves a welcome shift from Saigon’s roar. The patterned sand was inviting, despite an assortment of garbage and a ridiculous number of washed-up jellyfish, and some cool coconut-shell-lookin’ boats sat parked on the low dunes. Peering through the ocean fog for a glimpse of Monkey Mountain, it was hard to imagine the history that took place on this now seemingly unvisited shore.
There were lots of marble sculptures on display in the area and for sale in shops in town...but we read that this marble was actually imported from China, in order to preserve the landscape here. Interesting.
Three hours after departing Danang, our bus—our crazy-packed bus that, when all the regular seats were full, distributed red plastic lawn chairs for people to sit in the aisle—arrived in Hue, the old imperial capital of Vietnam's Nguyen Dynasty. We got a $10/night penthouse room at Hue Halo hostel, complete with a roomy balcony. The next morning, we crossed the Perfume River and entered the Citadel, a sizeable chunk of Hue enclosed by a moated wall.
Days in Hue sat around 75-80 degrees...great biking weather. The hostel owner lent us a couple bikes for adventuring to some outlying sights.
First, a ring in the countryside where the royals would come to watch elephants battle tigers! The elephant was considered an imperial symbol, so for the fights, the tigers were declawed to ensure the elephants' victory.
As we biked the hilly backroads to our next destination, we passed several incense-makers, marked by sticks drying out in the sun.
This quiet temple hidden in a pine forest southwest of Hue is the place where Thich Nhat Hanh studied Zen Buddhism for several decades. We seemed to be the only tourists visiting in the afternoon lull, and saw only a few monks, either walking the gardens or traveling the dirt paths on cruiser bikes.
We did see many foreigners, however, at the open-air DMZ Bar back in Hue, a popular watering hole and ending point for bus tours north to the demilitarized zone. After having enjoyed a relaxed few days of wandering desolate China Beach and laid-back Hue, we took off for the bustle of Hanoi.
25 March 2010: the epic day of our Ho Chi Minh City Walking Tour. Map in hand, we first navigated a huge roundabout to see the place where Bill Clinton (!) ate pho (rice noodles and vegetables in broth, the Vietnamese national dish), then browsed the Ben Thanh Market, full of fabrics, shoes, lanterns, chopsticks, tea, coffee, food stands, etc. 
We walked past the old French Colonial buildings in the downtown area: the People's Committee Building (shown), Fine Arts Museum, and Opera House...stopping in a park to check out some funky PSA posters regarding energy consumption.
We visited the War Remnants Museum (originally named The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government), which had an amazing collection of Vietnam War photographs taken by photojournalists from around the world, including a woman from Shorewood, WI. Next we toured the Reunification Palace, which has basically stood frozen in time since April 30, 1975, when the North Vietnamese Army stormed the gates and raised their flag over Saigon. Quite eerie was the dimly-lit basement of yellowed wall maps, rotary phones, and stacks of worn radio equipment.
A couple kilometers north we found the Jade Emperor Pagoda, unassuming with its crackling paint and small turtle pond out front (buy a turtle and write a message on its back with white paint, then toss it in the pond in hopes for a long life for oneself). 
The late afternoon was still sunny and in the mid-90's, but we made a final push over to the ritzy Sheraton Saigon, to watch the sun set over the city center from the rooftop bar.
The best Vietnamese breakfast: iced coffee and plain yogurt; a bitter, chicory-flavored jolt complimented by smooth sweetness. I'd been advised to try Vietnamese yogurt, and no foolin, that stuff was phenomenal!
…but after a couple hours of walking we happened to pass a shopping complex/cinema, and retreated into the a/c to eat pho and watch Alice in Wonderland in 3D. When we exited the theatre, the darkened pavement indicated we missed a downpour. We walked past a couple of Cholon's pagodas, which were closed for the day, and a strip of bulk spice vendors—huge bags of dried herbs lined the sidewalks, and inside the shops were walls of tiny drawers and shelves covered with small jars.
In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have eaten those uncooked spring rolls. Anyway. After dinner we made our final wanderings in the rain, which had dampened a bit of the buzz 'round the alleys of the area near our hotel. Next: north to Danang and Hue.
