ABSTRACT
The origins of the ancient city of Hue lie buried beneath centuries of unrecorded history. The eastern region of Indo china frequently changed hands among the kingdom of Nam Viet (later Dai Viet, now Vietnam), the kingdom of Champa (a Hindu civilization that has since disappeared altogether), and the Chinese empire. The city makes its first recorded appearance in Chinese documents, where it is mentioned as the seat of Chinese military authority in Nam Viet around 200 B.C. However, the Chinese did not maintain a continuous presence in Nam Viet, which periodically regained its politi cal autonomy. Nam Viet was also preyed upon by the Chams: around A.D. 200, for instance, Hue was incorporated into Champa. Despite their early presence, the Hindu Chams did not leave much of a mark on Vietnamese culture and no trace of them remains at Hue, which has been oriented to China for much of its history.
