Hue City is famous for its poetic and peaceful place, where people stay away from the noisy city, return to the old things, and feel the thrilling rhythm of life on each road.
Despite the ups and downs and changes, Hue still retains its intact values of the ancient style, the gentle characters of the locals, and the poetic nature not to be lost by urban development.
Find the ancient imperial palace of Hue City
On the tourist Vietnam map, Hue is a world cultural heritage in Thua Thien – Hue province, which belongs to the middle of the country.
In the south is Hai Van Pass to Da Nang City, in the north connects with Quang Tri Province, which has the old demilitarized zone (DMZ), and the mountain ranges and the ocean control the west and the east.
The main feature of Hue City is the ruins of the ancient capital, such as the imperial city and the royal mausoleums.
You can find plenty of places to see in the daytime and many activities at night in Hue; join different cultural tours, spiritual tourism, natural discovery, and beach relaxation; and taste its great cuisine. All of these make Hue City become a must-stopped destination in Central Vietnam.
Famous tourist destinations in Hue
Hue not only has the Huong River, Ngu Mountain, Trang Tien Bridge, Tay Loc Market or Dong Ba Market but also includes many beautiful destinations, which should be in your itinerary to explore Hue.
Imperial Palace of Hue
Coming to Hue, a must-see place is the Imperial Palace in the ancient citadel of the city center.
This destination still preserves almost cultural and historical traces through the kings of the Nguyen dynasty (1802 – 1945).
The Citadel in Hue includes three huge walls: The outer one is the citadel wall. The Imperial Palace wall is the second one inside, protecting royal buildings and temples to worship Nguyen’s ancestors. The Forbidden City is the third wall, inhabited by kings and royals.
The entrance fee is 200,000 VND / person.
Royal monuments of Nguyen kings
Besides the imperial palace, the royal tombs are the next famous tourist attractions to explore here.
When visiting the royal monuments, you seem to explore a lively place, not a dead area.
A total of 7 tombs were built for the 13 kings of this dynasty, carrying the oriental architecture and good feng shui.
Among them, you can choose two of these mausoleums for your itinerary in Hue, including the royal tombs of Gia Long, Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, and Tu Duc.
The entrance fee to visit each royal tomb is 100,000 VND/guest.
Thien Mu Pagoda
Thien Mu Pagoda, Heavenly Lady Pagoda in English, was built in 1601 on Ha Khe hill, overlooking the poetic Huong River.
About 5km from the city center, Heavenly Lady Pagoda is a famous spiritual destination, as well as the birthplace of many well-known photos of Hue City.
Ru Cha Forest
Ru means forest because it is all planted with Cha trees, so people call it Ru Cha, with the function of preventing salinity and protecting the mainland.
This place preserves the wild features of nature in peaceful areas. This place is the favorite spot for taking pictures, typically wedding photos.
Chuon Lagoon
Chuon has a rare beauty, both immense and peaceful. It is great to visit this site in the afternoon for great photos.
Come to Chuon Lagoon to enjoy local foods at a floating restaurant on the water. Also, you can see the fisherman catching the fish and crabs. All of these can make you have new and unforgettable feelings.
Lap An Lagoon
Large, quiet, idyllic lagoon for people living by fishing, you will find a slow pace of life, making you relax at Lap An lagoon.
The lagoon is located at the foot of Hai Van Pass, right next to Lang Co Bay, also known as a popular tourist stop on the way to travel along Central Vietnam.
Thus, you can come there to spend your time when combining a day trip from Hue at these attractions.
Tam Giang Lagoon
Tam Giang Lagoon is the largest lagoon in Southeast Asia. Typically, there is an ancient fishing village of Thai Duong Ha as an oasis in the middle of the lagoon.
Like most places in Hue, it is both calm and attractive as an ancient town. Coming to Tam Giang Lagoon, seeing the local people working on the boats in the early morning or at dawn is what you can try.
Beautiful beaches
Hue owns plenty of beautiful coastal beaches with white sand, clear blue water, and calm waves.
Some famous beaches near Hue City include Canh Duong (Loc Vinh commune, Phu Loc district), Lang Co (at the foot of Hai Van Pass), and Thuan An (Thuan An town, Phu Vang district).
The best time to visit Hue
If many people say that Hue is the most beautiful in the rainy season, do you believe it? Hue is known as a rainy city, so it is not surprising that the rainy season from Oct to Feb is still crowded with visitors.
Sit at a coffee shop, tasting a Vietnamese coffee, looking at the rain to enjoy romantic moments with your partners. What is more exciting? Watching the rain can make you feel the poetic landscape and life in Hue City.
The mildest temperate in Hue comes in March and April. Then, it becomes the hottest from May to September, when the temperature can reach 35-40 degrees with strong humidity.
Transportation to Hue
Luckily, there is a small Phu Bai Airport near Hue city center, only 15 km away, where you can fly to this city from Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi or Tan Son Nhat Airport in Saigon.
Many people traveling from Hanoi to Hue on the night train can have a different experience.
However, the things to note are that the train is a long time, from 10 to 12 hours, and sleeping on the overnight train is hard, which may make you feel a little tired the next morning. Thus, planning a free morning for the first day in Hue City is a good choice.
From Da Nang or Hoi An to Hue, the safest and most comfortable vehicle is a private car. The beautiful natural settings along the way are a highlight for your journey during this distance.
Where to stay in Hue
Hue City has two parts divided by the Perfume River. The north side has the ancient citadel but is not the central place for eating, sleeping, and entertainment at night.
Thus, choosing the hotels or resorts in the south part of the river is the most convenient. Many good hotels and resorts stay in this part of the city to spend overnight.
We recommend you check out these famous hotels in Hue City, such as Eldora Hotel and Moonlight Hotel (4 stars), Saigon Morin Hotel (4+ stars), La Residence Hotel (5 stars), and The Pilgrimage Village Boutique & Spa (5 stars).
Please note that there are two resorts with 5-star standards located far away from the city center, including Venada Lagoon Resort 60 km away, and Ana Mandara Hue Resort on the beach 14 km away from the center.
These two resorts are beautiful, but it is hard for the guests to come to the city to have dinner and explore the nightlight.
What to eat in Hue
Hue is the paradise of culinary with plenty of tasty dishes. Enjoying specialties is a must-do activity in Hue City that many guests like to come there.
The highlight food to taste covers Bun Bo Hue, Nem Lui (grilled skewers), Hue pancake, Banh Nam, and fig salad.
You may check the restaurants: Hong Mai Restaurant (110 Dinh Tien Hoang) for pancakes and Nem Lui, Y Thao Garden (3 Thach Han) for fig salad, and Bun Bo Hue (19 Ly Thuong Kiet) for beef noodle soup.
Vegetarian food is one beautiful side of Hue’s cuisine because there are more than 100 pagodas in this area, and around 60% of the locals are Buddhist people. You may try it at Lien Hoa Vegetarian Restaurant at 3 Le Quy Don Street or Sala Restaurant at 02 Dien Bien Phu Street.
If you want to have a street food tour, you may check Hue Flavor.
Notes when traveling to Hue
1. Dress code: Hue has many different ancient imperial palaces, royal tombs, temples, and pagodas, so when visiting its attractions, you need to have elegant clothes with a sleeved shirt and a dress or paint covering the knee. The suitable customs show respect for the locals, culture, and relics. Typically, the dress code in Hue Citadel needs to be polite and can protect you from sunlight because you may walk a long distance in this area.
2. Many attractions in Hue City can take you a lot of time to explore most of them. You need to plan a good itinerary and select highlights to visit when you do not have long holidays. You can check the Hue city tour that covers most of the top destinations in this land.
3. When you travel on the dragon boat on the Perfume River, the boat owners may invite you to buy some souvenirs. Therefore, if you do not get the gifts, tell them to your agent or boat owner in advance. It is a good way when you prepare from 50,000 VND – 100,000 VND to give them as a tip in advance.
4. Many dragon boats serve folk song performances on the river at night. If you want to join the show, you have to buy a ticket at the Toan Kam boat station. And, be careful to avoid falling down the river when you are on the boat at night.
5. Not all street food is suitable for foreigners. Although most dishes are very flavorful, you need to choose to taste this kind of food carefully. We do not recommend that international guests taste the food in the market. You may check the restaurants mentioned above.
Hue City gives peaceful feelings to most guests when traveling to this beautiful land. The romantic river, majestic imperial palaces, royal tombs, and flavorful cuisine make Hue a perfect destination during your holidays in Vietnam.
