Hue is the provincial capital of Thua Thien - Hue, and is situated on a tiny strip of land on Vietnam's North Central Coast. The city is the Central's cultural, political, educational, and tourism center. Hue is one of the most cited cities in Vietnamese poetry and music, thanks to the Huong (Perfume) River and valuable feudal dynasty heritages. Hue's cuisine is legendary, and the city's picture-perfect streets and green countryside are bordered with mossy pagodas and vibrant marketplaces. The city now holds two UNESCO titles in Vietnam.
Best time to visit
Hue is best visited between January and April, when temperatures range from 20 to 24 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is common, but it usually occurs in the form of a mild drizzle during the day. You may still comfortably visit Hue's historical sites and temples on foot at this time of year.
How to get there
Hue's Phu Bai airport (HUI) is located about 15 kilometers from the city center and currently only offers domestic flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, and Hanoi.
Hue's attraction
- Hue Imperial City: Hue Imperial City, located on the northern bank of the Perfume River, is home to a large number of edifices dating back to the early nineteenth century, including the Forbidden Purple City, pagodas, royal burial sites, royal quarters, temples, a museum, and a library. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, also known as the Complex of Hue Monuments, hosts daily cultural performances at 09:00, 10:00, 14:30, and 15:30.
- Minh Mang Tomb: Minh Mang Tomb, the most ambitious royal tomb built during the Nguyen Dynasty, is positioned along the west bank of the Perfume River and is only a 30-minute drive from Hue City Center. Minh Mang Tomb, surrounded by landscaped lakes and canals, has a total of 40 structures, including palaces, temples, terraces, and pavilions.
- Tu Duc Tomb: Tu Duc Tomb is located in Thuong Ba Village, about a 15-minute drive from the Imperial City of Hue. The Tu Duc Tomb, which is home to a vast lake and over 50 palaces, pavilions, temples, and shrines, provides a soothing atmosphere for visitors interested in learning about the relics of the historic Nguyen Dynasty.
- Thien Mu Pagoda: Thien Mu Pagoda is located on a hill just outside of Hue City Centre and offers stunning views of the Perfume River and Hue Imperial City. One of its most notable features is the Thap Phuoc Duyen, a 21-meter-tall octagonal tower built in 1844 during the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri.
- Huong (Perfume) River: It was given the name Huong River because withered flowers from upriver orchards are carried via its flow throughout the autumn months, leaving a distinct floral aroma. Due to the fact that most of Hue's major sites, temples, and local towns are located along the Perfume River, a variety of tour companies provide paddleboat rentals, boat excursions, and dinner cruises at various pricing points.
- Bach Ma National Park: At 1450 meters above sea level, Bach Ma National Park is home to spectacular waterfalls, hiking routes, and decaying French mansions. Visitors can spend a full day (or two) hiking, camping, rappelling, swimming, and even abseiling down Do Quyen Fall (Rhododendrun Fall), which is home to hundreds of endangered flora and species.
- Thanh Toan Bridge: Thanh Toan Bridge is a tile-roofed footbridge with ancient Chinese and Japanese patterns as well as ornate sculptures of sacred animals, similar to Hoi An's Japanese Covered Bridge. Thanh Toan Bridge, located in Thanh Thuy village, is a 20-minute drive from Hue City Center, passing through various traditional villages, rice terraces, and pagodas.
- The To Mieu Temple: Emperor Minh Mang built The To Mieu Temple in 1821 in honor of prior Nguyen Dynasty monarchs, and it is now part of the UNESCO-protected Complex of Hue Monuments. This ancestral temple, one of the best-preserved in the complex, contains an elegant three-tiered pavilion, many personal objects and portraits of its ten emperors, as well as nine dynasty urns cast between 1835 and 1836.
- Huyen Tran Princess Temple: Huyen Tran Princess Temple is a sprawling complex that includes lotus lakes, Emperor Tran Nhan Tong's monastery, orchid gardens, and a library containing documents from former kings and important Tran Dynasty figures. A 2.37-meter-tall copper statue of the late princess and a 1.5-tonne Hoa Binh bronze bell are among the highlights of this 15-minute walk from Tu Duc Royal Tomb.
- Hon Chen Temple: It now houses ancient vases, Chinese scriptures, religious figures, and animal carvings, among other antiquities. Every year, in the middle of the third and seventh lunar months, the Hon Chen Temple Festival takes place, where visitors can experience traditional ceremonies, folk dance and music performances by local devotees dressed in colorful costumes.
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