Hue, << hway >> (pop. 351,456), is a city in central Vietnam. Sand dunes and shallow lagoons cut off Hue from the South China Sea. However, the land behind the dunes is flat and cultivated. The city is a center of student and religious life. The University of Hue was founded there in 1957.
Hue was the capital of Vietnam during the rule of the Nguyen dynasty in the 1800’s. It continued as the royal capital until 1945. Palaces that were built in the Chinese style during the Nguyen period still stand in the city.
Hue became part of South Vietnam when that nation was formed in 1954. Communist forces gained control of Hue for several weeks in 1968 in one of the largest attacks on South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The Communists won the war in 1975, and Hue and the rest of South Vietnam then came under the control of Communist North Vietnam. The Communists unified North Vietnam and South Vietnam into the single nation of Vietnam in 1976.
