Perfume River

Perfume River ( or Hương Giang in Vietnamese) has its source in the Annamite Mountains, and is formed by tributaries of the Ta Trach and Huu Trach Rivers. Its route is nearly 30 kilometers long and moves very slowly because it is almost entirely at sea level.

The Perfume River gets its name from the fact that it passes through many fields and catches the smell of all the wildflowers. A popular legend says that the colors of the river range from white to green and resemble a silver sword drawn in the sky.

We took a ferry to go see some temples and besides being a beautiful experience, was also educational.

Born in the Annamite Mountains, the Perfume River bathes the city of Hue and its 30-kilometer stretch is full of pagodas, temples, and gardens. Some say that it was named thus because perfume merchants used it to travel to the emperors; others claim that the name is due to the large number of fragrant gardens on the riverbanks. I tend to believe the latter. I also heard that it was a sharp blue color but it looked more like green to me. Anyways, what’s important is that it’s an icon of the city of Hue.

The bridges were bombed repeatedly by the Americans. The Trang Tien Bridge is the most important rebuild bridge and spans over 400 meters.