Second day in Hue and I still like it do much more then Hanoi. People are much nicer and I haven't been ripped off yet. I even paid the same amount for my water as the local next to me! I toured the Citadel today- it was built in 1804 by the Nguyen dynasty and lasted until 1945. It's just amazing! The compound is huge, a city within a city with several moats and walls. It was partly destroyed by bombs in the Vietnam War and by flooding. Several buildings aren't yet restored and it's overgrown, giving it a feeling of discovery as you walk through crumbling gates and around ornate buildings. I also checked out some pagodas and an ancient tomb. I came across a homeless elderly woman at the pagoda (plus several others). She looked about 80 and had only a sack for her belongings. This isn't right! An old woman shouldn't have to sleep on the streets, exposed to the elements and to thugs. Say what you want about social welfare in America, but at least a poor old woman doesn't have to exist in such horrid conditions.
