How to visit Hue, Vietnam

If history is your thing, a stop at Hue has to be on your Vietnam itinerary.

I visited Hue during my trip to Vietnam in November 2023. I found the sights of the city to be super interesting, and its unique dishes were so exciting to try!

In this guide, I’ll tell you more about how to visit Hue, including some of its top attractions, and my honest thoughts on the city.

About Hue

Hue is a historic city in Central Vietnam.

A lot of backpackers in Vietnam seem to skip Hue. Although easy to get to, as a medium-sized city, it can be thought of as expendable for travel plans.

This makes sense, depending on how much you like history. If Vietnam’s past doesn’t interest you, there is little benefit to making a stop here. You might find it boring!

However, if you’re remotely interested in how Vietnam was governed in the past, Hue is worth a visit.

The former capital in the Nguyen dynasty

Hue has been around for quite a while: over 2000 years!

It has always been a city of strategic importance. However, this came to fruition during the Nguyen Dynasty, the last Vietnamese dynasty from 1802 to 1945. When the Nguyen family came into power, they moved Vietnam’s capital from Hanoi to Hue.

They built a impressive three-ringed citadel, with the heart of the dynasty occupying the central Forbidden City. Intriguingly, it was built using ancient oriental philosophy.

Hue remained the capital of Vietnam until 1945, when the country came under American control. It was a major area of bombing during the Vietnam-American War, particularly during the Battle of Hue in 1968, so little of the Imperial City remains. However, you can still see the impact that history has had on the city, even with so many buildings missing!

As a testimony to its importance to Vietnam, the complex of Hue monuments has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

How to get to Hue

Hue well connected to other areas of Central Vietnam.

If you’re arriving from other countries, it’s easiest to fly into the airport at Da Nang, 2 hours’ drive away. You could then get a taxi or take the train to Hue.

If you’re coming from other big cities in Vietnam, like Hanoi or Da Nang, taking the train is a good option. The train station is located centrally within Hue, and train travel in Vietnam is generally comfortable and inexpensive. Trains pass through the Hai Van Pass between Hue and Da Nang; although rain spoiled the views during my visit, under better conditions I imagine it would be spectacular!

The bus is an alternative option which is best suited for trips to places not served by the train line, such as Hoi An or Phong Nha. Direct night buses connect Hue to further away destinations, such as Ninh Binh and Hanoi, too.

Where to stay

It’s best to base yourself in the centre of Hue if you want to explore the city. Here, there are plenty of hostels, homestays and hotels with options to suit all budgets and tastes. You’ll also only be 15 to 30 mins walk from the citadel, meaning you can explore it in your own time without the constraints of organising transport.

We stayed at Hue Happy Homestay, and, as with many other places we’d stayed in Vietnam, the owner was lovely and helpful. We felt comfortable and relaxed in this hostel!

Where to eat

There are plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars in Hue which you can take a look at. A cursory zoom around Google Maps, checking the reviews, will give you a good idea of where’s good and where’s bad!

Our favourite restaurant was Maison Trang, which served tasty and affordable food in a comfortable environment.

Hue has a range of speciality dishes which everyone should try whilst visiting! I’d therefore recommend having at least one traditional meal during your stay so that you can try some of them:

• Banh beo: rice cakes steamed in little dishes, which you eat with a spoon and dip in fish sauce;
• Bun bo Hue: a rice noodle soup that’s popular throughout central Vietnam;
• Banh nam: a rice flour dumpling, which is wrapped and steamed in banana leaf, and also eaten with fish sauce;
• Bun thit nuong: cold rice noodles topped with grilled pork, herbs and salad greens; and
• Banh xeo: fried rice pancakes which are eaten throughout Vietnam and are soooo delicious!

When should you visit Hue?

Hue’s rainy season is the same as other locations in Central Vietnam. It’s rainy season in the second half of the year, with rainfall levels peaking in September, October and November.

If your trip is specifically to Central Vietnam, it’s worth avoiding September to November and travelling at other times of the year; the spring and summer months appear to be best.

However, I know that the rainy season in Central Vietnam is slightly out of kilter with North and South Vietnam, as well as in other regions in South-East Asia. On longer trips, it’s just not possible to time the weather to be good everywhere you visit!

Personally, I visited Hue in early November, during rainy season, and the weather was really awful: it rained our whole second day. It was so bad we ended up leaving to go to Da Nang early, abandoning our plans to check out the waterpark.

Is Hue worth a visit?

Hue has a lot to offer if you’re into history: ancient buildings with plenty of significance, ancient tombs and pagodas.

However, if history doesn’t excite you, Hue can easily blend in with any other city in Vietnam. That’s not to say it isn’t nice – it is – but there are lots of nice cities in Vietnam.

If you have the time and interest, you should definitely visit. However, unless you adore historical attractions, you don’t need to worry about skipping it.

Ratings

As part of this blog, I give every place I visit a rating so that I can easily compare destinations and decide whether they’re worth a visit. Those are the scores you see at the top of the page!

This is how Hue rated:

• Safety: 5/5 – I felt very safe in Hue.
• Accessibility: 4/5 – Hue is generally easy to get to, with a range of attractions. That being said, like most Vietnamese cities, getting around can be a problem with reduced mobility.
• Enjoyment: 4/5 – Hue is great if you love history, but if it doesn’t interest you, you might get bored after a day exploring the attractions.
• Value: 4/5 – the city is generally inexpensive to stay and eat in. However, entrance fees for international visitors are quite steep.

Overall score: 4.25/5

If you’ve already visited, let me know if you agree with these ratings! Just to note, the ratings are my personal opinion based on my visit, so you might have a completely different experience.

What to do in Hue

1. Visit the Imperial City

What is the point in going to Hue if you don’t go to the Imperial City?

The Imperial City, and the Forbidden City inside, is the most popular attraction in Hue. This walled area of the city forms part of the larger citadel and was occupied by the Nguyen Dynasty. You can enter the massive complex and see where the king and his court lived.

The entry fee for the citadel is high for Vietnam (250,000 dong / $10 / £8) and, as it’s massive, I’d recommend devoting an entire morning or afternoon to exploring it. Signposting for individual areas is limited so I’d recommend hiring a guide to help you explore. You can do this when you buy your tickets!

Make sure to explore beyond the main gates, which are crazy busy with tour groups. The gardens and buildings inside, which people mostly explore independently, are quiet and much nicer as a result.

2. Take a boat ride along the Perfume River

Another popular activity is to take a boat along the Perfume River, which runs through Hue. The Perfume River is supposedly scented due to the many fragrant trees in the area (not that I smelled anything).

Most of the boats for tourists we saw were shaped like a dragon, which was cool. However, in general, I can’t quite understand why a boat trip along this river is so popular. 

Throughout Vietnam, there are so many places you can take boat trips, amongst gorgeous scenery, landscapes and heritage. Perfume River, by contrast, was muddy brown, with minimal things to actually look at on its riverbanks. It just follows a road, and the few bridges were the only interesting things to look at. In my tour group, most people just spent the half hour journey on their phone!

Personally, I wouldn’t consider this worth your time.

3. Visit one of the many pagodas

There are multiple pretty pagodas in Hue. However, you’ll find pretty pagodas throughout Vietnam, so I can’t say this would be an essential for a visit either.

The main one people visit is Thien Mu Pagoda. This pagoda is known for political demonstrations; a highlight is the car which Quang Duc (the “burning monk”) drove to Saigon prior to setting himself alight as a protest against anti-Buddhist policy in 1963.

That being said, I found Thien Mu similar to some of the pagodas I’d already seen in Vietnam, which were arguably more impressive.

4. Explore one of the many Nguyen tombs

If you want to explore the history of the Nguyen dynasty, you’ve got to leave the centre of Hue and travel to the outskirts. Here, you’ll find tombs dedicated to the former kings.

I visited two of them: Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. The first was very quiet but impressive in terms of architecture and space, whilst the second was much busier. As a later 1900s build, it featured design inspired by both oriental and Western culture, with intricate artwork in the main tomb building.

I would recommend visiting the tombs in addition to the citadel. It definitely gave us a more complete understanding of the area’s history.

The only thing is, most of the tombs are located a 15 to 30 minute drive outside of Hue centre. You may therefore need to take a tour or hire a taxi or scooter in order to visit.

5. Visit an abandoned waterpark

For those backpackers or travellers who were told they HAD to stop at Hue, but do not care about history… the Ho Thuy Tien Waterpark is for you!

Fifteen years ago, the Hue Tourism Company decided to build a water park not too far outside of Hue. However, it was a complete flop and closed after a couple of years.

Nowadays, the water park is empty and left to the elements. It’s therefore not surprising that it has become an unofficial tourist attraction. Backpackers just have to slip a small “bribe” to the patrolling security guard.After that, you’re free to explore.

We were keen to visit this water park as it sounded so exciting, but we just didn’t have time to visit.

6. Traverse the Demilitarised Zone

Back in the time of the Vietnam-American War, Vietnam was split into two halves by a Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). It was located around 2 hours’ drive north of Hue, and the relics from this era can be visited on a day trip.

Highlights include the Vinh Moc Tunnels and Khe Sahn Combat Base.

Interestingly, the DMZ is located around halfway between Hue and Phong Nha, a national park known for its caves. You can visit the DMZ on the way from one place to the other, if you’ve already got Phong Nha on your itinerary!

7. Take a day trip to Phong Nha (not recommended!)

When in Hue, some people decide to take a day drip to Phong Nha. In Phong Nha, you’ll find a range of caves which tourists can visit.

I absolutely love Phong Nha and think it’s worth a visit. However, at 4 hours’ drive from Hue, a day trip seems excessive and painful. You’ll only be able to visit one cave and will be so shattered from the transport as well! Why bother? Just visit it separately!

Conclusion

Hue is a great stop for tourists who want to dive into Vietnam’s recent and more distant past. As the capital during the Nguyen Dynasty, it’s full of interesting landmarks worth a trip to see.

Do you have any questions about visiting Hue? Let me know in the comments!

Visiting Vietnam on a longer trip? Check out my guides to other Vietnamese destinations: Tam Coc (Ninh Binh), Da Nang, Phong Nha, Cat Ba & Ho Chi Minh City