Bao Vinh

Bao Vinh was the river port of the Nguyen capital: goods for Hue came up the Perfume River and were handled here, and a street of merchant houses and warehouses grew along the bank in the nineteenth century, some Chinese in style, with the shop at the front and the family behind. It was a substantial trading place. What is left is a fraction - flooding, neglect and demolition have reduced the number of old houses from dozens to a handful, and the ones remaining are in varying condition with owners who cannot always maintain them. Preservation proposals have been made repeatedly and not much has followed.

What you actually see

• The river port of the Nguyen court - where goods for Hue were handled.
• Nineteenth century merchant houses - shop at the front, family behind.
• A handful left of dozens - lost to flood, neglect and demolition.
• Proposals that have not delivered - preservation repeatedly discussed.

When to go

Year round; the river floods in the wet season. Half a day.

Honest expectations

There is much less here than the descriptions suggest and the surviving houses are private and often shut. Flooding damages the street regularly. It is a short trip from Hue and quickly seen.

Nearby

Hue is upstream; Thuan An and the lagoon are downstream.