Hue: Vietnam's Last Imperial Capital

by Carol Howland

Hue is one of Vietnam's treasures, a city that until fairly recently was the royal capital. So naturally, there is a strong legacy of court life in the architecture, the cuisine, even in the manners of this elegant city on the Perfume River. With a keen grasp of Hue's turbulent history and a deep appreciation of its remaining imperial architecture – a World Heritage Site – journalist and travel writer Carol Howland is the perfect guide to Hue's unique palaces, gardens, food, theatre, literature, crafts, and religions. She explains why and how the French eventually seized control of Vietnam, here in Hue, and the dramatic effects this had on the royal family and the people of Hue. She relates the stories of their grandparents and even receives a history lesson from one of the men who might have become emperor. She reveals the daily life of a Nguyen emperor and the exotic foods of an imperial banquet. Infinitely insightful, HUE, VIETNAM'S LAST IMPERIAL CAPITAL will appeal to anyone intrigued by an elaborate, feudal, oriental court life, only recently disappeared.

286 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2018

Reviews

[Gry Jemsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of the succession of Nguyen emperors in Vietnam and their charming garden city. Carol Howland gives us a detailed description of the huge, walled citadel and forbidden Purple City by the Perfume river, built in the early years of the 19th century. Here lived over 60 000 people, the emperor and his court and servants. Howland has, as in her previous books, immersed herself into the culture of the country and describes it all, from 400 year old court dances to the food and literature of today.