Arrival in Hue

beach on the way to hue

After finishing the two-day orientation in Hanoi, I had to take a plane to Danang because the airport in Hue is closed for renovations. Someone from my university was waiting for me at the airport, and luckily, he also had space for a Fulbright scholar named Jay who ended up on the same plane as me. We stopped at the beach on the way back to Hue for coconuts and pictures – nice, clear white sand and blue skies! When we arrived at Hue, they dropped me off at the “faculty guesthouse,” which turned out to actually be a dorm for international students (mostly Chinese). At first I felt isolated, since there’s nothing near the university and the closest supermarket is a 40 minute walk, but later I found out the university is not as far outside the city as I thought, and the girl at the dormitory reception desk has promised me they’ll be giving me an electric bicycle soon.

The next day, Jay came on his motorcycle to show me around the city and also brought me to his house for lunch with his host family. He kept giving me pointers for finding my way around all the streets and landmarks for directions. He also gave me a lot of tips for when I get my own motorcycle (if the electric bicycle isn’t sufficient . . .)

My Morning Run:

Although I saw plenty of people out running near the lake in Hanoi, it doesn’t seem to be a very popular activity here in Hue. I get a lot of stares, confused looks, honks, and shouts when I’m out running. Nor does it help that I don’t know where to go – this morning I took what I thought was a small road leading away from the city center and suddenly I was on a big highway! Yesterday, I wanted to see some of the surrounding area, so I was running on busy streets on purpose. Also, I get sweaty just walking around Vietnam, so even running at 6:30am, I come back drenched in sweat. Hopefully, once I get a better route, running will be more enjoyable and less dangerous. Maybe I can even start a running club at the university . . .


Although there are beautiful mountains everywhere, I found out that hiking is not at all popular here. Apparently a lot of the people who live in the mountain villages are unfriendly and there are no trails, so hiking is dangerous. However, there is a national park nearby where you can go hiking, so hopefully I’ll make it there sometime in the near future.

outdoor market

Shopping:


chickens in cages

I would love to buy groceries at an outdoor market like this, but my Vietnamese is almost non-existent and I don’t know anything about prices, so I can’t go there on my own. Also, I’m not sure what is sanitary and okay to eat, and judging by some of the smells I experienced there (especially near the fish section), it’s definitely not all okay to eat. There are all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meat, and packaged food at the market, and chickens are sold alive from crowded cages – there might be more vegetarians if chickens were sold like this in the states . . .

My alternative to the market is a place called “Big C.” I have been there every day since moving to Hue. There is no bargaining and all the prices are marked, but it’s a crowded place and I tend to get pushed around a lot. Big C has 4 floors packed with clothes, electronics, a food court, and all kinds of other groceries and household items. Despite the crowds, it’s definitely a less threatening place for foreigners than the outdoor market.

people carry things this way

Big C Supermarket

Today was a national holiday, but I start work tomorrow. I sure hope the students are nice . . .