Indochina 2009

Photos by Adam Jones

These photos were taken during two months in Indochina
(Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) from May to July 2009.

Photo Gallery 50: Vietnam - Huê

Huê in central Vietnam was the capital of from 1802 to 1945, and is home to the vast Citadel
(Kinh Thanh, the former imperial city). During the Tet Offensive of 1968, the Citadel became the scene of
ferocious fighting, with the forces of the North Vietnamese Army and NLF guerrillas squaring off against
US and South Vietnamese troops. For more information and some images of the battle, see the relevant
Wikipedia page. Much of the historical architecture was obliterated or heavily damaged by
bombs and shelling; but as a World Heritage Site, it's now being reconstructed under UNESCO aegis.

I.

This photo and the next: Huê scenes.

II.

III.

IV.

The imposing flag tower near the entrance to the imperial enclosure is topped by a huge
and highly symbolic flag, also visible at the left of the previous photo. It was here that the banner of the NLF
fluttered for 24 days during the Tet Offensive, until US forces succeeded in storming it and ending
the guerrillas' resistance. The retreating NLF left behind the massacred corpses of about 2,800 alleged
collaborators -- and their family members; probably the worst communist atrocity of the entire war.

V.

Remainder of the gallery: inside the Citadel, focusing on the Imperial Enclosure.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

X.

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