Hue may be my favorite city in Vietnam. It’s got a rich and fascinating history, sure, but it has so much more to offer: sleepy and provincial streets, magnificent natural beauty, and a unique food scene. And all of it gives off a feeling that is distinctly Hue.
In other words, every part of my experience in the city has felt refreshingly different than my time elsewhere in Vietnam… or anywhere else in the world, for that matter.
In this guide, I’ll try to demonstrate what a unique and accessible city Hue is and how it’s a perfect place to spend a few days while you’re in central Vietnam. More importantly, I’ll discuss when to visit, where to stay, and what to do in the ancient imperial city of Vietnam.
Plan your trip to Hue, Vietnam
What is Hue Known For?
As any guidebook or travel guide will tell you, Hue is best known as the old capital city of Vietnam. It’s not as ancient as you might think, though; it was established as capital back in 1801 and stayed capital all the way up until 1945.
The Forbidden City in Hue, Vietnam
During its time as capital, Hue was the seat of Vietnam’s Nguyen dynasty, a dynasty that laid the groundwork for modern Vietnamese culture. Incidentally, the last Vietnamese dynasty is the reason why around 39% of people in Vietnam have the surname “Nguyen.”
Today, Hue is famous among international tourists for its historical sites. Hue Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the tombs of former emperors are a few of the most famous ones. More on each of those Hue attractions in the “What to Do in Hue” section below.
Hue was also one of the most well-known battleground cities during the Vietnam War. Sites like Bunker Hill, Phu Bai Combat Base, and Hue University were all hotspots during the war, and they’ll also interest history buffs.
Modern Hue
To Vietnamese locals, though, Hue is known for so much more than just imperial and wartime history. In fact, Hue is known widely as the most “romantic” city in Vietnam. It is a fantastic location for couples traveling together, but the romance of the city actually hews more closely to the other definition of the word.
“Romantic” is also defined as “suggestive of an idealized view of reality,” and that’s how I feel when I’m in Hue. It’s often like me and everyone around me are wearing rose-tinted glasses, glasses that don’t come off while we’re within the city limits. This results in locals that seem more friendly, landscapes that appear more beautiful, and cultural experiences that make up some of my fondest memories in Vietnam.
Hue is also known as a great city for budget travelers, with lots of expats living in Hue or people who have traveled there telling me it provides the “best bang for your buck” out of any city in Vietnam.
Where to Stay in Hue
Hue is essentially divided into two major areas: the “old city” north of the Perfume River and the “new city” to the south of the river. The two areas have very different vibes and will cater to different types of visitors.
Hue’s old city is more touristy since it houses most of the popular Hue attractions like the Purple City and the Hue Citadel. If you’re looking for nightlife, busy local markets, and lots of tourist attractions right outside your door, the old city is for you. It also tends to have the cheapest places to stay in Hue since a lot of backpackers come through on a weekend trip from Hoi An or Da Nang and want to crash at a hostel.
Some of the better places to stay in Hue old town include:
Hue’s new city is more like a normal city without all the historical sites and tourist activities. If you’d prefer a more modern Vietnamese experience with the opportunity to see the sights during the day, the new city may be a good choice and you can look at:
My personal favorite place to stay in Hue, though, is just across the Perfume River from the old city. It offers the accessibility of the hostels in the old city but a little more serenity when you get back to the hotel since the river separates you from the busiest part of town.
The area just across the river from Hue’s old city also has a decidedly more luxurious feel, with a beautiful river walk nearby (more on that below) and less crowded, better-maintained public areas. The accommodations around there are also more expensive, but I like to splurge on nice hotels in Vietnam since you can get five-star luxury for much less than what you’d pay in most places.
My top recommendations for hotels in the area are:
- Azerai La Residence Hotel – This former home of the French governor of colonial-era Hue is very pricy (over $200/night) and I haven’t stayed here yet. It’s on my bucket list, though, because it’s on LIFE magazine’s list of “100 Things to Do Before You Die” and it looks absolutely incredible.
- The Moonlight Hotel – I have stayed here. It was very affordable ($40/night) and was a great experience.
- Purple Hue Central Hub – A good budget option (under $20/night)
What to Do in Hue
The following are my recommendations for the best activities to do in Hue, based on both my own experience and that of my friend Anders Krystad, who lived in Hue for over two decades and loved the city so much that he wrote a full-length book about Hue.
I’ve divided the activities into two sections: “tier 1” activities I think every visitor to Hue must do their first time there and “tier 2” activities that are fun add-ons if you have extra time or on subsequent visits to Hue.
Tier 1: Must-Dos for Your First Visit
The average duration of a stay in Hue is only 1.25 days, according to Anders. I suspect that’s because many people are just visiting Hue during a stopover on the trans-national train route that runs through it – more on that below.
If you’re one of those short-duration visitors to Hue, make sure to:
Visit the Imperial City (Hue Citadel and Forbidden City)
The Imperial City is the symbol of Hue and may be the most stunning ancient site in Vietnam. In fact, calling it a “site” might be an understatement; the area has an area of over 5 km2 and contains a multitude of amazing historical and cultural sites, including:
- The Meridian Gate
- Dai Noi, the old Vietnamese name for the Hue Citadel.
- The Nine Dynastic Urns
- Phung Tien Palace
- Dien Tho Palace
- Truong Sanh Palace
- Kien Trung Palace
- Thai Binh Pavillion
- Co Ha Garden
- Dong Khuyet Dai Traditional Mosaics Showroom
- Hien Nhon Gate
There are so many sights and attractions within the relatively small area that organizing a self-guided tour is easy. Just save or print out a few pages that have some info on the various spots in the Imperial City, and you’ll be able to do it without issue.
Walk Hue’s “Golden Mile”
The “Golden Mile” is located just to the south of the Perfume River, along the stretch of Le Loi Street between Ha Noi Street and Chu Van An. It’s the nicest part of the city for walking around, especially as a first-time tourist.
Truong Tien Bridge leading south to the Golden Mile area
That stretch of Le Loi has lots of tasty restaurants, and shops selling local handicrafts, tailors, art galleries, hostels, and more. It also goes along 3 Thang 2 Park, a green public space with nice paths to walk on and a floating restaurant on the river that’s one of the nicest places to eat in Hue. Walking along the river is beautiful, and walking along Hung Vuong itself is grittier but more exciting.
The small streets leading off of Le Loi – especially Doi Cung, Pham Ngu Lao, and Vo Thi Sau – are equally nice walking spots. They’re even shut off to traffic at night on weekends so pedestrians can enjoy traditional performances and street food there without having to worry about traffic.
Walking around The Golden Mile for an evening is a fantastic way to experience the culture of modern Hue.
Go on a Perfume River Cruise
The Perfume River runs through the center of Hue, but I’m positively astounded by how well-kept the beautiful river is even though it’s in such an urban location, especially because most cities in Vietnam do not take great care of their natural landmarks. A cruise along the river is the best way to enjoy the full beauty of Hue while you’re in the middle of it.
Booking a cruise is easy. There are tons of piers along the Le Loi Street side of the river, and you can hire a boat directly at most of them. The boats that bring you down the river are typically dragon boats, a traditional type of boat in the area painted and carved to look like dragons gliding through the water.
When I cruised the Perfume River I went with Moon River Cruises at 5 Le Loi, and I was very happy with my experience. The building is on one end of a very nice river walk, so you can stroll along it for a few minutes if your boat is not leaving right away.
Taking a cruise on the Perfume River at sunset is an option, too. Just book this cruise.
Sample Royal Cuisine
Hue cuisine is totally unique. When the city was meant mainly to house government officials, it developed decadent and delicately made dishes that you just won’t find elsewhere in Vietnam. It’s not the most delicious food I’ve ever had, but it’s very distinct to Hue and you can’t really say you’ve experienced the city without sampling one of its biggest cultural cornerstones, the traditional food.
Some of the best restaurants for royal cuisine in Hue include:
- Cung Dinh Restaurant, also known as Royal Park
- Hue Co Restaurant
- Tinh Gia Vien Restaurant
- Mon Hue Restaurant
These restaurants serve Western foods and more typical Vietnamese foods alongside royal cuisine. Make sure to order the royal cuisine. If you don’t know what food is the royal cuisine, ask your waiter – you may need to use Google Translate.
Climb Thien Mu Pagoda
Thien Mu Pagoda is perhaps the most famous pagoda in Vietnam. It’s not the most beautiful one, but it has a deeper and more interesting history than any other I’ve visited. The pagoda’s supposed past is filled with stories, some of which seem true and some which seem more like legends. Because of all the fascinating background, I’d recommend hiring a guide there to show you around.
You do not need a guide to get to Thien Mu Pagoda, though. The best way to travel there is by boat. It takes only 20 minutes from the dragon boat piers along Le Loi Street, mentioned above. For that reason, it pairs very nicely with a Perfume River cruise.
Admission to the pagoda is free. Again, though, you should hire a guide at the pagoda’s gate so you don’t miss out on all the juicy background details. Or, you can book this guided Hue City full-day tour, which includes the pagoda.
Tier 2: Add-On Activities
If you love Hue and want to stay longer or if you come back a second or third time, you can try these activities to enjoy the city more deeply.
Go on a Self-Guided Hue Walking Tour
Anders let me in on a “walking safari” of Hue that he really ẹnjoys. It’s just a quick jaunt around the center of town, but it’s his favorite way to spend a relaxing morning while basking in the sleepy, urban-meets-provincial culture of Hue.
The route you should take for the self-guided walking tour is:
- Start with a breakfast of bún bò Huế at 19 Ly Thuong Kiet Street.
- Stroll through the FA Film Market on Nguyen Van Cu Street.
- Get tea at one of the many shops on Hai Ba Trung Street. I really like START Coffee and Milk Tea at 23 Hai Ba Trung.
- Walk through the narrow alley at 48 Ngo Quyen Street. The alley has a very local feel that will show you Hue’s daily life from a perspective most tourists don’t get.
- Enter the grounds of Hue Central Hospital at the international ward and walk through the campus, which is almost like a little city in itself.
- Head to Cafe Ty on 3 Tran Cao Van Street for a streetside coffee, the way Hue locals traditionally socialize.
- Continue on to the Imperial Hotel for a taste of Hue’s luxury scene. It’s a beautiful building, but the main attraction to us is the sky bar on the roof with 360-degree views of the city. On clear days, you can see all the way over Vietnam’s western border to Laos.
- Finish with lunch at The Chan restaurant on 1 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.
Visit Hue’s Garden Houses
The Garden Houses in Hue are unique attractions that combine traditional architecture, heritage, and natural beauty. They remind me of a Central Vietnamese take on the tranquil Japanese Tea Gardens you’re probably familiar with. And just like Japanese Tea Gardens, you will be able to walk around the grounds of the Hue Garden Houses yourself and explore.
The Garden Houses are scattered all across the area near the city center, and they are all a bit different. You can read about each and see which one looks best to you on the official webpage of the Hue Garden Houses.
Descend into Hue’s Royal Tombs
A package tour of the three most popular tombs in Hue (Tomb of Thu Duc, Tomb of Minh Mang, and Tomb of Khai Dinh) is one of the most popular activities for tourists in Hue, but I feel that the tours are too generic and feel “fake”. Instead, I’d recommend visitors take a bit more time and take a self-guided tour of the tombs.
Most of the tombs are some ways apart, so walking is not an option. Motorbiking is the best method of transport if you can drive yourself, and riding a bicycle is a close second.
The tombs I’d recommend and their admission prices are:
- Gia Long Tomb – 150k admission
- Thieu Tri Tomb – 50k admission
- Khai Dinh Tomb – 100k admission, 20k for children
- Dong Khanh Tomb – 100k admission
- Thu Duc Tomb – 150k admission
- Minh Mang Tomb – 150k admission
Note that the tombs close at either 5:00 or 5:30.
Go to the Beach
Hue is such a fascinating city that it’s easy to forget it’s right on the beach.
Thuong An Beach and Hai Duong Beach are both quite nice and are each within 15-20 km from the Hue city center.
Lang Co Beach, Canh Duong Beach, and Ham Rong Beach are a bit further out, from 50-70 km from the center. They’re even nicer, though, and you’ll often have the beach nearly to yourself since there are fewer tourists.
Take a Cooking Class
I mentioned Hue’s unique royal cuisine above, and the only better way to experience it than eating is by cooking it yourself. There are lots of cooking schools in Hue that offer classes in English, and I can personally vouch for this Hue Specialty Food Cooking Class. (Editor’s note: if you prefer to book something online, you can also join this Hue small group cooking class.)
Visit the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum
The museum at 3 Le Truc Street houses most of the city’s most impressive artifacts, and those interested in ancient Vietnamese history will love it. The collection of traditional costumes, ceramics, weaponry, and other artifacts is more impressive than almost any museum in Vietnam.
Museum admission is only 150k for adults and 50k for children. Like any art museum, you can go without a guide and learn about the artifacts from plaques next to them.
Cross Hai Van Pass to Da Nang
If you are traveling to Da Nang after Hue, make sure to cross the Hai Van Pass to get there. Both in my own opinion and in the opinion of locals who know the country well, it is the most beautiful vista in Vietnam.
If possible, cross the pass on a motorbike so you can stop and drink in the view at any particularly beautiful spot. Otherwise, the train trip from Hue to Da Nang offers a fantastic view from the Pass. Try to avoid crossing it by car, as you just won’t get the full effect from smaller car windows.
When to Visit Hue
The weather in Hue is definitely variable and has three distinct seasons.
Clear Season (January – early May)
The season with the best weather, it’s usually rain-free. Average temperatures are usually between 22 and 30 degrees C (71-86 F). That might sound like shorts and T-shirt weather, but I’d recommend bringing warm clothes, too. The humidity is usually high, and the small droplets of water on your bare skin can make the weather feel pretty cold if there is even a slight chill in the air.
Summer Season (late May – August)
The heat is nowhere near as intense as summers in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Daily average temperatures usually hover around 30 degrees (86 F), and even the hottest time of day around 2:00 in the afternoon rarely goes above 33 degrees (91 F).
Rainy Season (September – December)
The rainy season in the flatlands around Hue is nothing to mess with; massive flash floods can make the area outright dangerous. I would highly recommend sticking to other parts of Vietnam during those months. The nearby central coast or the mountain town of Da Lat in the Vietnam Central Highlands are good alternatives to Hue if you are planning to head to central Vietnam during these months.
Hue is also home to lots of festivals that celebrate traditional Vietnamese art and culture. You might want to check out a schedule of festivals in Hue (here’s the 2024 Hue festivals schedule) when planning your trip there.
Getting to Hue
The Train that goes between Hue and Da Nang
There are three common ways to get to Hue from other cities in Vietnam: by plane, by train, or by road.
Getting to Hue by Plane
Phu Bai Airport is technically an international airport, but there are currently no international flights operating there. If you’re flying to Hue from outside Vietnam, you’ll instead have to fly to Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, or Hanoi and then take a connecting flight.
Almost every major airport in Vietnam will offer service to Hue, though, as it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. My airline of choice for cheap domestic flights in Vietnam is Vietjet, and Vietnam Airlines is the best choice for more upscale service.
Getting to Hue by Train
Traveling by train in Vietnam is easy because there is only one rail line that goes all the way up and down the country from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, passing through all the major cities in between. Hue is on that line, as is Da Nang.
Tickets are very affordable, too. Search for them on the Vietnam Railways site. The cabins themselves are comparable to a nice public bus in terms of cleanliness, and the more expensive private berth cabins are in smaller and cleaner rooms.
The table below shows the distance from (or to) Hue and several nearby cities with train stations.
| Train Station | Distance (Time by Train) |
Distance (km/miles) |
| Dong Hoi (Near Phong Nha) |
3hr | 168km/105mi |
| Dong Ha | 1hr, 25m | 66km/41mi |
| Da Nang | 2hr, 40m | 103km/64mi |
| Tam Ky | 4hr, 10m | 179km/111mi |
Getting to Hue by Road
You’ll have no trouble getting to Hue from a nearby city via car or motorbike; it lies along the North-South Reunification highway. The table below shows the distance from (or to) several nearby cities that are also good places to visit, as well as the major roads taken to get between the two cities.
| City | Time | Roads Taken |
| Da Nang | 2hr, 5m | CT02, QL1A |
| Hoi An | 2hr, 50m | CT02 |
| Phong Nha | 4hr | CT02, QL1A |
As I mentioned, my memories of visiting Hue feel more vivid and tinged with nostalgia than most of my memories of traveling in Vietnam – and that’s saying a lot since I absolutely love Vietnam. It’s great for history buffs, budget travelers, nature enthusiasts, families, foodies, and couples looking for a romantic getaway… really, it has something for everyone.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’d definitely give Hue a thumbs-up. It’s an absolute must for any Central Vietnam itinerary, and it should be at least a stopover for any Vietnam traveler. And even though the average trip duration for Hue is only 1.24 days as of now, I think it deserves at least 4-5 days. Along the banks of the Perfume River, you’ll form some rose-tinged memories that will stay with you forever.
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Posted JUL 02, 2024
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