Post:The Thang- Image:Thang The, Le Hong Long
Bao Vinh ancient town, once the most bustling in the "Dang Trong" region, was an important trading town of the capital Hue, but has now fallen into disrepair, completely different from Hoi An ancient town, a port town that developed during the same period.
I found Bao Vinh by chance, while I was alone on a boat wandering along the Perfume River during a visit to Hue many years ago. From the Perfume River, Bao Vinh looks a bit like Hoi An ancient town but older, more primitive and simple. The tiled-roof houses are close together, low. A small asphalt road divides two parallel rows of streets facing each other. I pulled the boat to shore, and experienced Bao Vinh for the first time.
For many years I have wandered around Bao Vinh. This is the first place I visit in Hue, every time I return. Bao Vinh has changed a lot for me but is still very familiar. I still often eat breakfast at the lady selling Hue noodles at the beginning of the street, her little daughter, who was only two years old when I first met her, is now in first grade. The boy next to the ferry dock who used to sit in a stroller now knows how to play soccer. The blind old man who lived alone with the wooden stairs has now returned to his ancestors.
Bao Vinh has always been the most beautiful and enchanting place for me whenever I come to Hue. Somewhere there lingers the romantic and passionate space when the morning sun rises brightly, and in the afternoon the sun covers the quiet street reflecting on the surface of the Perfume River with gold, or sometimes simply when the water rises during the flood season.
More information:
+ Bao Vinh Ancient Town is located in the north of Hue Citadel. It can be reached by road from the city center via Nguyen Gia Thieu Street, Dao Duy Anh Street, and Bach Dang Street. If traveling by water, you can go along the Perfume River towards the sea, or follow the Dong Ba River.
+ Bao Vinh is most beautiful at dawn and dusk. The best way to explore Bao Vinh is to take a boat to the walking street. Bao Vinh has a ferry, you can take the boat to visit Thanh Tien paper flower village and Sinh village (where the wrestling festival takes place every spring). From the other side of the river, looking to Bao Vinh is very beautiful. Another beautiful place to see Bao Vinh is Bai Dau bridge, on Nguyen Gia Thieu street, across Dong Ba river.
