We traveled to Hue via a taxi from
Hoi An to Danang, and then a short train ride from Danang, on which I smashed 3 roaches. Two were on the seat in front of me and one on my leg. When we arrived in Hue, we had a taxi drive us to 3 different hotels before we found a nice and clean room at the Hue Riverside Hotel. It was late in the evening and raining, and each restaurant we tried to go to was closed. When we returned to our hotel and told the people at the front desk that we couldn’t find anything to eat, they brought instant noodles and hot water up to our room!
The next day we explored the Citadel, with its beautiful grounds and many interesting buildings. Although much inside of the 10 kilometer wall surrounding the Citadel was destroyed during the Tet Offensive, what is left is fascinating. There were very few people there, and we spent nearly the whole day walking around inside.
On our second day in Hue we rode cyclos and walked around the city, exploring shops, tasting food, and making plans for a trip down the Perfume River. We hired a boat/guide through our hotel, and on our third day we traveled down the Perfume River to the tombs of Emperor Tu Duc and to the Thien Mu Pagoda. Although we enjoyed the atmosphere of Dalat, Hoi An, and Hanoi more than Hue's, it’s definitely worth spending a couple of days there to explore the Citadel and Perfume River.
Our boat picked us up right behind our hotel on the Perfume River, and the ride down the river was very nice. We saw many Vietnamese fishing boats, with whole families living on them, and others with 3 people at a time peddling furiously. Our boat drivers didn’t speak English, so we were unable to ask them what these people were doing. After an hour or two, we arrived at a dirt road on the side of the river. When we got off the boat, two men were waiting on the road with motorbikes to take us to the complex of the former Emperor Tu Duc. After a short ride on the back of the motorbikes, we arrived.
The complex, built from 1864-67, is incredible. It has a very peaceful atmosphere, with a pavillion adjacent to a small lake where the Emperor Tu Duc was said to have composed poetry. Although the emperor had this complex built, he was not actually buried in it. We read that the actual location of his burial is unknown, and to protect the treasures he was buried with the 200 servants who buried him were all beheaded!
On our way back to Hue down the Perfume River, we stopped at the Thien Mu Pagoda. This 65-foot pagoda, built in 1844, is famous throughout Vietnam. Unfortunately when we arrived there it was raining, but this did add a mystical element to the place. We returned to our hotel after our trip down the Perfume River, and packed our bags for the overnight train to
Hanoi.
For information on Hotels, Tours, Flights, and Books on Vietnam, check out the pages below:
Hotels in Vietnam - Recommended hotels in Vietnam.
Tours in Vietnam - Recommended tour companies in Vietnam.
Flights to Vietnam - Includes information about our experiences on different airlines we've taken to and from Vietnam.
Books on Vietnam - Excellent books on Vietnam's history, people, and travel.
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