Hue, Vietnam

Huế (Hue) [huay] is a city in central Vietnam and was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city is known for its cultural heritage, historical significance, natural beauty and traditional dishes.

From Hanoi to Huế

The distance from Hà Nội to Huế railway stations is about 688 km with a travelling time of about 13 hours. Initially, I planned to take the train but in view of my tight schedule, I opted to fly instead. 💸

Flight time was about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Arriving at Huế

iseasywith.me Public Service Announcement

From my adventure and residents outside the airport, there were no public buses from the airport or the main road to the city despite some websites stating that there were.

I came across a few websites during my research that mentioned there were public buses #2 and #11 I could take from outside the airport to the city centre, complete with their routes and if the buses were not there, I could walk about 500 metres to the intersection outside the airport to catch them from the main road but the information did not seem to be accurate.

When I exited the airport, there were no public buses in sight. After I walked to the intersection, there were no buses either. I waited for a while and decided to check with the locals near to where I was waiting and they replied that there were no public buses! 😣

I had to book a Grab from the roadside to get to my accommodation.

In and Around Huế

Popular places to visit include:

• Cầu Trường Tiền (Truong Tien Bridge)
• Chợ Đông Ba (Dong Ba Market)
• Chùa Thiên Mụ (Thien Mu Pagoda)
• February 3 Park
• Ho Quyen Tiger Fighting Arena
• Hoàng Thành (Imperial Citadel).
• The Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty
  • Đồng Khánh (Dong Khanh)
  • Dục Đức (Duc Duc), Thành Thái (Thanh Thai) and Duy Tân (Duy Tan)
  • Gia Long
  • Khải Định (Khai Dinh)
  • Minh Mang
  • Thiệu Trị (Thieu Tri)
  • Tự Đức (Tu Duc)
• Thuy Xuan Incense Village

Hoàng Thành and the royal tombs are part of the Complex of Hué Monuments which were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993.

Due to time constraint, I selected 2 of the tombs to visit- Đồng Khánh tomb (50,000 VND) and Khải Định tomb (150,000 VND), Cầu Trường Tiền, Chợ Đông Ba, Chùa Thiên Mụ, February 3 Park, Ho Quyen Tiger Fighting Arena and Hoàng Thành.

iseasywith.me Travel Tip

Cầu Trường Tiền, Chợ Đông Ba, February 3 Park and Hoàng Thành are quite near one another thus from my acccommodation, I walked to February 3 Park on the way to Chợ Đông Ba where I had breakfast before I continued with Cầu Trường Tiền and Hoàng Thành.
For convenience, you may want to negotiate with a GrabBike to take you to a few of the further places for a fixed fare. I booked a bike (250,000 VND) which took me to Đồng Khánh tomb, Khải Định tomb, Chùa Thiên Mụ and Ho Quyen Tiger Fighting Arena before headed back to somewhere near my accommodation.

The advantage of such an arrangement is that after visiting a location, you do not have to book another bike and wait for it to arrive. The bike would wait for you to visit the location and send you to the next. Also, you may not be able to get a bike if the location is further out from the city centre.

Cầu Trường Tiền

Cầu Trường Tiền was designed and built in 1899 by Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Spanning the Perfume River (Sông Hương), it has six arches and eight spans, and connects the city's northern and southern districts. 

Chợ Đông Ba

Chợ Đông Ba is the largest and most bustling market in Hue. It has several sections selling a wide variety of goods such as food, souvenirs and handicrafts, clothings and accessories.

You can find Hue’s famous dishes such as Bánh Bèo (steamed rice cakes), Bún Bò Huế (Hue-style beef noodle soup), Bánh Khoai (Hue-style pancakes) here. 😋

Chùa Thiên Mụ

Chùa Thiên Mụ, also known as The Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, was built in 1601 during the reign of Emperor Nguyễn Hoàng, the first ruler of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Legend had it that a 'celestial lady', appeared in the emperor's dream and foretold the prosperity of the region. From there, he ordered the construction of the pagoda and it became a symbol of spiritual protection for the region.

February 3 Park

The 3 February Park commemorated the events on 3 February 1968 where the bloodiest fighting of the Tet Offensive took place in the Battle of Huế.

There was a Toi ♡ Huế (I ♡ Huế) sign to take photos with.

Ho Quyen Tiger Fighting Arena

Ho Quyen Tiger Fighting Arena is an under-the radar location on most travel sites.

It was built in the 1830s and although it is called a tiger fighting arena, my research revealed it was actually for both elephants and tigers.

Hoàng Thành

Hoàng Thành was the citadel in the heart of Huế. Built in the early 19th century during the Nguyễn Dynasty, it served as the political, cultural and religious centre of imperial Vietnam. It is enclosed by massive stone walls and a moat, and includes the Forbidden Purple City, an area where only the emperor and his closest attendants could enter.

The Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty

These are the burial sites of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors who ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. The tombs are located in different locations around Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Each tomb is unique and showcase a blend of traditional Vietnamese architectural styles and the influence of Chinese design.

Đồng Khánh Tomb

Đồng Khánh tomb is the final resting place of Emperor Đồng Khánh, the fifth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty who ruled from 1885 to 1889. It was built between 1888 and 1923 and incorporates both Vietnamese and French colonial architectural styles, and features pavilions, stone statues and lush greenery.

Khải Định Tomb

Khải Định tomb is the final resting place of Emperor Khải Định, the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty who ruled from 1916 to 1925. It was built between 1920 and 1931 and incorporates Vietnamese and Western architectural styles, reflecting the emperor's fascination with modern and global influences.

The tomb features grand staircases, elaborate gates and intricate mosaics, colourful tiles and glass. The centerpiece is the throne room where Khải Định's statue sits.

Thuy Xuan Incense Village

Thuy Xuan Incense Village has been producing hand-made incense sticks for centuries using natural materials like cinnamon, flowers, fragrant wood and herbs.

Colourful displays of incense sticks in vivid hues like purple red and yellow are arranged in fan shapes at the shops.

Food and Beverage

Dong Ba Market

6 Yakitori

6A Võ Thị Sáu, Hue City

My Christmas dinner (555,000 VND) was at this cosy yakitori place. I had skewers, tofu and a stir-fried meat dish paired with a bottle of green apple soju. 😋

Sadly, as at the time of editing this article, Google updated that it is permanently closed.

Mdm Thu

45 Võ Thị Sáu, Hue City

It was Christmas Eve when I was there and I had my bún bò Huế (50,000 VND) with a set menu- a platter of 9 sampling-portioned dishes of Huế's specialities together with a plate of fruit and a drink (160,000 VND). Service was good at the restaurant as the staff would explain how to go about dipping and wrapping the dishes, with a smile.

Street Food

After my Christmas dinner, I had a skewer (20,000 VND) from the Korean street stall, bánh tráng nướng (Vietnamese pizza) (20,000 VND)at the pedestrian pavement and a coffee (91,000 VND) at the balcony of one of the multi-storey cafes where I could see people and vehicles moving around below.

My cơm hến fix was on the morning before I left for Danang.

Departing Huế

My next adventure was in Danang. As there was scenery to be seen, I took the train from Hue Station. The booking engine had certain algorithm which prevented short distance travellers from booking the window seats and I shared a travel tip on how to overcome it. Do read about it.