Hue City was a political capital from year 1802 to 1945 under 13 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. Now, Hue City is one of the best tourist cities which comprises of cultural, religious and education.

This UNESCO World Heritage city also very famous with tombs of Nguyen’s emperors, Citadels and many ancient architectural attractions especially at the north side of the Perfume River (Song Huong). Photo by fra.ps on Flickr.

Going to Hue

Tourists can start their tour to Hue either from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City by taking daily flights of Vietnam Airlines, Mekong Air or Jetstar Pacific with a reasonable price. Hue’s Phu Bai Airport is located 13 kilometres from city centre with 25 minutes travelling by car. If you travel from the airport by taxi, it will cost around VND 200,000 ($10) and if you are flying from Hue City by Vietnam Airlines, there is shuttle service from their sales office in Hue.

There are two bus stations in Hue which is Au Cuu Bus Station; for passengers to the south of Vietnam with Da Nang city as their first stop and An Hoa Bus Station which is located nearby the Citadel and serves for passengers to northern destinations.

Public transport in Hue is very reliable with numbers of Mai Linh and Co Do taxi especially at tourist attraction areas. You also can hire a motorbike tour visit with price will start from VND 150,000 ($7.5) depending on your travel location.

Interesting Places

There are many interesting places for you to visit. The Citadel will remind you about the gladiator history in Rome but it comes with a smaller version of rebellious hall. There are also many tombs of Nguyen’s Dynasty which the distance is between 7 kilometres to 16 kilometres south of Hue City. To visit all tombs may be very costly and it will take the whole day. You can choose to visit some famous tombs such as Tomb of Tu Duc and Tomb of Minh Mang. The entry ticket of this tomb normally will cost around 65,000 ($3) per person. If you have extra time, you may travel 90 kilometres further to the west side of Hue to visit the history site from the American War. It is advisable to visit this place in a group tour instead of coming alone because only tourist guides know about where are the unexploded ordinance still lies. You may search for Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tours for current tour package. Some tourist says that, if you are into American War history, than this visit will be worth it for you.

Shopping

Hue City is very popular with the finest conical hat which is made by using palm leaves. These cities also have numbers of places if you are looking for rice paper, silk paintings and as usual, you need to bargain for a good price because normally the merchant will offer you four times higher than the actual price. Do not forget to drop by to Dong Da market at Tran Hung Dao street enjoy Hue’s street foods, buying clothes and browsing for some souvenirs for your friends and families.

Stars Accommodation or Budget Hotel?

There are numbers of five star hotels and resorts in Hue such as Imperial Hotel Hue, Celadon Hotel Hue, Pilgrimage Village Hotel Hue, La Residence Hotel & Spa Hue and Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa Hue which the price can start from USD 80 up to USD 300 per night. If your budget is limited and just need a cheap place to stay, you may browse for rooms for rent at the alleyway of Le Loi Street in between of Pham Ngu Lao and chu Van An Street. Some good budget rooms also can be found at Hung Vuong Street and some other main streets. Three days and two nights is enough for you to explore this big city because normally Hue is a transit city for backpackers from Da Nang before heading to northern cities such as Hanoi or Hai Phong. Nothing much to fancy here besides a historical visit.