Top places to travel in Vietnam (Part 7): Hue - The land of Heritage
1. General Information about Hue Tourism
Located in the central of Vietnam, Hue is a city with a long-time culture, beautiful and charming natural landscapes and owns a world-recognized historical complex. Hue tourism has long been known as an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
Hue is 654 km from Hanoi to the North, 627 km from Nha Trang and 1,071 km from Ho Chi Minh City to the South.
Today tourists will have a great chance to visit Hue Ancient Capital owning 2 world cultural heritages. One is the Complex of Hue Imperial Citadel, the rest is Hue Royal Elegant Music
2. Climate and the best time to visit Hue
In the transition zone between the South and the North, the weather in Hue is a combination of both regions, not too hot and not too cold. The lowest degree is around 10°C.
The rainy season: from May and lasts until November. Sometimes severe storms and floods, so it is necessary to check the weather forecast before having a Hue trip.
According to many Hue tourism experiences, the good time to visit Hue is between the spring - summer and autumn - winter. However, the best time is April – May. This is a mild-pleasant climate, suitable for all tourism activities. Moreover, every two years, Hue Festival is held at the end of April, to honor cultural heritage and promote tourism. If you go to Hue during the Hue Festival, you will have the opportunity to feel fully Hue’s beauty!
3. Transportation
By plane:
As a big city in the Central region, Hue also has Phu Bai airport tp support convenient transportation purposes.
- Flight from TP. HCM to Hue only takes about 30 minutes.
- Flight from Hanoi to Hue is only about 1 hour.
By train: Trains are an interesting means of travel for those who want to ẹnoy the beauty on both sides of the road.
- From Hanoi – Hue: about 14 hours.
- From Saigon – Hue: about 18 hours to 22 hours.
- From Da Nang – Hue: about 3 hours.
Cars/ Bus/ Van/ Limousine: There are a lot of high quality cars from all provinces across the country having routes to Hue.
- Hanoi to Hue: 12 – 16 hours.
- Saigon to Hue: 20 - 24 hours.
- Da Nang to Hue: 2 – 3 hours.
Transportation within Hue City is available and very convenient (motorcycles, taxis, cars, bicycles and even cyclos)
4. Foods
Hue is a great land having many special dishes. Hue food is a perfect combination of royal’s cuisine and normal people’s cuisine during long-time history and culture. Visiting Hue, tourists should try some Hue foods to enjoy the flavor of the dishes and even the hospitality of Hue people. You should to taste at least 3 dishes such as Hue-style beef vermicelli soup, Mussel rice, Fantastic Dumplings of Hue, Hue Sweet Soup, Nam Pho Rice spaghetti...
Click here to know more information about Hue cuisine.
5. Famous tourist spots
Hue Citadel Map
Hue Citadel is the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty during 143 years and was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Hue Citadel has an area of 520 hectares and was divided into two parts: where civilians and mandarins lived, and the Citadel - the living and working place of the king and royal family.
- Visiting hours:
- Summer: From 6:30 to 17:30
- Winter: From 7:00 to 17:00
- Ticket price: 150,000 VND / person / time.
Quoc Tu Giam - Thua Thien Hue History Museum: Quoc Tu Giam acts as a feudal university, originally founded in Thang Long in the Ly Dynasty. By the time of Nguyen Dynasty, another Quoc Tu Giam was built in Hue and replaced Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi. From that time, Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi has a function as Temple of Literature - a place of worship for saints. Quoc Tu Giam in Hue has since played the role of the only university in the country, gathering and training hundreds of talents during the Nguyen Dynasty. Nowadays, Quoc Tu Giam in Hue has become the Thua Thien Hue History Museum, a place to keep Hue's historical artifacts through many periods.
- Opening hours: From Tuesday to Sunday
- Morning: 7:30 - 11:00
- Afternoon: 13:30 - 17:00
- Ticket price: 30,000 VND / person.
Long An Palace – Museum of Royal Antiquities in Hue: Built by King Thieu Tri to be a place for resting and reading, Long An Palace has become Museum of Royal Antiquities in Hue and stores imperial treasures, providing a clearer view about the lives of royal people.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 17:00 every day (Monday closed).
- Ticket to visit Citadel and the museum: 150,000 VND / ticket.
Thien Mu Pagoda is located on Ha Khe hill and is a typical image of Hue dreamland. The pagoda was built in 1601 by the first king of the Nguyen Dynasty - Nguyen Hoang. The image of Thien Mu pagoda is associated with Phuoc Duyen tower and Thien Mu bell. What makes the bell of Thien Mu pagoda become special is that the bell is rang twice a day, at 3:30 and 19:30, each time continuously ringging 108 times within 1 hour.
- Address: Ha Khe hill, 140 - 142 Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Hue.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 17:00 every day.
Perfume River (Huong River) is a symbol of Hue. Taking dragon boat on the river and enjoy Hue Royal Elegant Music is SHOULD-DO activity when travelling Hue.
Trang Tien Bridge was built more than 200 years ago. The bridge is also a symbolic image of the city, Trang Tien Bridge crossing Huong River is also a thing that Hue people are very proud of.
Complex of Hue Monuments includes 7 tombs of 7 out of 13 Nguyen Dynasty Kings. Each monument has a unique architecture and is a perfect combination of feng shui Eastern style and the individual character of each king.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 17:00 every day.
- Ticket price:
- Minh Mang Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb and Khai Dinh Tomb: VND 100,000 / ticket
- Gia Long Tomb, Thieu Tri Tomb and Dong Khanh Tomb: VND 40,000 / ticket
Tourist Attractions around Hue city
Thuan An Beach is a small beach near Hue city.
- Address: Thuan An Town, Phu Vang District, Thua Thien - Hue Province (15 km from the city center to the East).
Lang Co Bay is considered as the one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
Lap An Lagoon is located at the foot of Hai Van Pass, right next to Lang Co Bay.
Things should not miss: Enjoy Hue Royal’s Elegant Music
6. Travel tips in Hue
- In the peak seasons of tourism, tourists are very crowded. Do not forget to plan early to book all services well.
- Hue Citadel has a large area; you should arrange in advance the route to have the best Hue trip.
7. Hue Tours
Vietnam Scenery Travel Agency have many Hue Tours to serve tourists' requirement.
With all the above Hue travel tips, hope you will have the most memorable experience in Hue with Vietnam Scenery!