Hue, Vietnam was once the capital of Nguyen emperors and was modeled after Beijing’s own Forbidden City. Cut across by the Perfume River, the old within a citadel lies on one side while the more modern habitats and establishments are built on the other. Hue today is more of a university town due to the concentrated number of students lurking in the streets. The city itself is very friendly to tourists, with a lot of historical sites and natural wonders to explore, and many of which are accessible by foot or by motorbike.
Here are some things you can do in Hue:
Climb up the Ho Quyen Tiger Fighting Arena - A relic of old-school animal cruelty, this arena once pitted tigers against elephants for the pleasure of the emperor and his more blood-thirsty subjects. Ho Quyen is built along the southern bank of the Perfume River, and consists of two circular walls, with a flight of stairs heading its way to the top. The arena is remarkably intact; even the tiger cages still have claw marks. The fights themselves, which have since been discontinued in the early 20th century, were fixed: the tigers were drugged and always lost to the elephants. As tigers symbolized rebellion and elephants represented the monarchy, it’s no surprise the emperor wanted a demonstration of his unshakeable supremacy along with fur-flying entertainment.










Sample rural bliss in one of the most beautiful lakes in Southeast Asia. Myanmar’s Inle Lake is lush, pristine with its charming paddy fields and floating villages.
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