SHOPPING

Vietnamese people all over get gooey over the mention of Hue’s distinctive CHAU VAN MUSIC. You can hear some on MUSIC CRUISES or buy a few CDs for US$2 or so. Phu Xuan Bookstore (see Basics) stocks them upstairs. These are near impossible to find outside Hue. “Nha Nhac Dung Dinh” is a recent collection of traditional Hue-style instrumentals.

The ever-present NON LA (conical hat) is done differently in Hue, with hidden scenes made in the bamboo if you hold it up to the sun; others have stitched-in poems. You can shop for these in DONG BA MARKET or in the village outside Tu Duc’s Tomb, south of town.