Thuan An Beach

The Perfume River runs beside the Imperial City, under the Trường Tiền Bridge, and past the Phu Văn Lâu pavilion. All that water is heading for the sea. It reaches the sea at the Thuận An estuary, about 15 kilometers east of the center of Hue.

This is the beach nearest to Hue.

The Thuận An estuary has a history of more than 600 years. In the 15th century, under the Hồ dynasty, this stretch of coast was called Cửa Eo, because the mouth of the water was narrow. In the 17th century, the Nguyễn lords set up their seat at Phú Xuân. They were a noble family who ruled southern Vietnam from the 16th to the 18th century. Their realm was called Đàng Trong, and Thuận An became its most important gateway.

Three large rivers flow into the Tam Giang lagoon, and from there to the sea. The Hương, the Perfume River, is one of them. The Bồ and the Ô Lâu are the others. Merchant ships and warships bound for the capital all passed through this gate.

Yet one day in history, this peaceful estuary witnessed a turning point for the whole country.

On August 20, 1883, a French fleet attacked the Thuận An fort. The court of the Nguyễn dynasty was defeated. That dynasty was Vietnam's last royal dynasty, and it reigned from 1802 to 1945. Five days later, on August 25, Emperor Hiệp Hòa signed the Harmand Treaty. It formally recognized French protection over northern and central Vietnam. From this date, Vietnamese history counts the country as formally in a period of lost sovereignty.

History does not always happen in grand places. A small estuary, one morning in August of 1883. That was Thuận An.

To the west, on the far side of a strip of sand, lies a world quite different from the open sea to the east.

This is the Tam Giang and Cầu Hai lagoon system, the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia. It covers 216 square kilometers. It runs 68 kilometers from north to south. Salt water and fresh water mix into brackish water, and that creates a special ecosystem. Hundreds of thousands of fishermen live along the lagoon, making a living by catching and raising seafood, as families have for generations.

As the sun sinks toward evening, the light spreads over the still surface of the lagoon. The shapes of the fishermen's boats are reflected in the water. It is one of the most beautiful sunsets in central Vietnam.

A narrow strip of sand lies between the two worlds.

The families of the fishing village beside the beach live off the sea and the lagoon. They fish in the morning and sell the catch fresh the same day. Shrimp, fish, squid, crab and swimming crab still shine with seawater. The smell of fish grilled over charcoal drifts along a whole stretch of the beach.

Every year in the first month of the lunar calendar, especially on the 11th and 12th days, the village of Thai Dương Hạ holds the Cầu Ngư festival. People pray that the sea will protect the fishermen and fill their boats with fish and shrimp. They hold a rite for the Whale God, a sea god who protects fishermen in folk belief. There are boat races, hát bộ, and lion dances. Hát bộ is a traditional form of Vietnamese theater. This is a fishermen's culture, quite different from the court culture of Hue.

Thuận An is the place where the Perfume River ends its journey, a river mouth with 600 years of ups and downs behind it. Fishermen here still keep the traditional Cầu Ngư festival. And the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia lies right behind the sand.

This is Hue in every size and from every angle. From the royal tombs to the fishermen's sea. From the Perfume River to the historic river mouth. From the Imperial City to the Tam Giang lagoon.

The strip of sand lies narrow between two worlds. On one side is the salty sea, open to the wind. On the other is the lagoon, still in the evening light. And the Perfume River, after all its days flowing through Hue, has finally reached the sea, right at your feet.