The Song Huong (S鬾g Huong) or Perfume River rises in an inaccessible region of the Truong Son mountain range and descends through a series of 55 waterfalls before flowing through the heart of Hue and on to the South China Sea. It is not particularly long or large; but it is extraordinarily beautiful; an effect enhanced at Hue by the reflection of the walled citadel; pagodas; towers and temples.

To this may be added the picturesque riverine traffic - women in white mollusc hats scull tiny; single-oared vessels back and forth from bank to bank; while larger boats piled high with vegetables and fish head for Hue's bustling Dong Ba Market. Great lengths of bamboo tied in swathes are towed downriver; past rattan-roofed houseboats moored mid-stream with wisps of smoke issuing from tiny kitchen areas; and fishermen standing confidently upright in their narrow craft; casting their nets or retrieving fish traps. Pictures From Asia David Henley