My Travel Adventures

In contrast to the hectic itinerary of yesterday, we spent the whole day today in one city. After eating a leisurely breakfast, we boarded a “dragon boat” on Perfume River and sailed for about forty minutes to the Thiên Mụ Temple, founded in 1601 by the Nguyens. Its most impressive sight is its seven-story pagoda, which directly overlooks the river and serves as an entry point to a much larger complex. Besides the usual temples, this complex also contains a functioning monastery and a few historical exhibits. Perhaps the most interesting artefact is the car driven to Saigon by the Monk Thích Quảng Đức, who immolated himself in protest against the anti-Buddhist persecutions of the staunchly Catholic president Ngô Đình Diệm.

We woke up at 5:15 in the morning and left our hotel half an hour later. Checking in for our flight to Huế was simple enough, and although the ride was a little bumpy, we made it to the city in good time. All of us, however, were quite hungry by the time we had left our luggage at the hotel, so our guide arranged for us to order some bánh mì. We did this from the bus, as it could not enter the road of the bakery due to holiday closures. Instead, the food was delivered to us on motorbike. Mine was underwhelming. I had asked for a vegetarian version, and what I got was a baguette filled with peanut butter and sugar.