Tam Biet, Vietnam

Its time to say goodbye.  By the time you read this, the team will be somewhere over the Pacific

The last few days in Hue allowed the team to decompress from eight straight days of work, and to see the sites and people of the last royal capital of Vietnam.   The city is bisected by the Perfume River.  On one bank is The Citadel, an old gated fortress city built by King Gia Long starting in 1802.  It held the homes of the common people, as well as the fort-within-a-fort where the king lived.  Today, many ordinary people live inside The Citadel, while the Forbidden City is a huge tourist attraction.

(Be sure to click on the photos to see a larger version.)

In America, most people either live on a wide street suitable for autos, or in an apartment.  From an early age, we fear alleyways – we think of them as the places where bad things happen.  But in most of the cities of Vietnam, it is the alleyways (called a kiet in Hue) where people live.  Too narrow for autos, they are perfect for the slower traffic of bicyclers and walkers.  A neighborhood is watched over by an older gentleman who smiles to welcome you to his alleyway.  Some of the team members had the chance to amble around and see the real Hue.

The Perfume River is beautiful – the Vietnamese write poems about it.  Of course, it is also a large part of the economy and many people make their living on the boats that ply its waters.  Some haul gravel for construction, others take tourists for short trips, and others haul farm products to market.  This one is setting out early in the morning to go fishing.

And, maybe the silk shop owners of Hue are sorry to see the MEDRIX team leave – you will soon be able to see the results of some shopping trips.

So – tam biet, Hue.  You will see MEDRIX again.  There is lots of work yet to be done.