Ornate tiered gate towers rise above the stone walls and moat of Hue's Imperial City citadel.

Central Vietnam

The capital that lost, and kept its kitchen

Vietnam’s imperial capital for 143 years, badly damaged in 1968 and steadily restored since. The tombs outside town are better than the citadel inside it, and the food is the best argument for a second night.

Plan my trip

Orientation

What Hue is

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 until 1945, and the walled citadel on the north bank of the Perfume River was the centre of it. The battle for the city in 1968 destroyed much of it; what stands today is a mixture of survivals and careful reconstruction, and it is worth a morning with somebody who can tell you which is which.

The better half of Hue is outside the walls. The royal tombs are scattered along the river to the south, each one a walled complex built by an emperor for himself, and they are among the most atmospheric places in the country. Two of them, properly, beat four in a rush.

Nights: 2
From Hoi An: 3 hours by road, or the coast train from Da Nang
Best months: February to August
Wettest: September to December
Not to miss: Two tombs, in one unhurried afternoon

Tombs

The tombs, and which two

There are seven of consequence and nobody should attempt them all. Minh Mang is the most formally beautiful, a long symmetrical progression through gates, courtyards and lakes. Tu Duc is the most human — the emperor built it as a retreat and lived in it, and it is overgrown and melancholy in a way that photographs badly and is wonderful in person. Khai Dinh is the strange one: concrete, ornate, European and Asian at once, built in the 1920s and disliked by purists, which is part of its interest.

Pick two, or three if you are quick, and get to the first at opening time. The afternoon light at Tu Duc is the best of the day and the coach groups have gone by four.

A visitor in a conical hat stands among stone mandarin statues at Khai Dinh Tomb's courtyard in Hue.

A visitor stands amid rows of red lacquered chairs inside an ornate golden throne hall in Hue.

Wooden fishing boats rest on the calm water of Tam Giang Lagoon under a vivid orange sunset sky.

A family in green aprons paints ceramic bowls together at a table during a Hue cooking class.

Food

The food, which is the reason for the second night

Hue cooks differently from anywhere else in Vietnam: smaller dishes, more of them, more chilli, and a tradition of court cuisine that turned into a street food repertoire. Bun bo Hue is the one that travelled — a beef and pork noodle soup with lemongrass and shrimp paste, heavier and spicier than pho. The rice cakes are the local obsession: banh beo, banh nam, banh loc, served in sets of small dishes and eaten by the dozen.

Eat at the small places on the south bank rather than the hotel restaurants. A food walk here is one of the few genuinely worthwhile guided evenings in Vietnam, because half the good dishes are impossible to order without knowing the name.

Practical

Getting here, and the weather

From Da Nang: two and a half hours by road over the Hai Van pass, or two and a half hours by train along the coast. The train is the better ride; the pass is the better view. Do one each way.
From Hoi An: three hours by road including the pass.
From Hanoi or Saigon: fly to Phu Bai, fifteen minutes from the centre.
The DMZ is a full day north of here, and a heavy one.

Hue is the wettest city in Vietnam. September to December brings very heavy rain and the occasional typhoon, and the city floods in a bad year. February to August is dry and hot, with May to August genuinely hot — 35 degrees and no sea breeze inside the citadel walls.

Not for everyone

Who should skip it

If historic sites are not your thing, Hue is the stop to shorten — one night and a morning at one tomb is a legitimate compromise on a short trip. If you are travelling between September and December, expect rain and plan indoor mornings. And if you hate heat, do not attempt the citadel between eleven and three in June or July; there is almost no shade in it.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

How many nights in Hue?

Two: one for the citadel and the city, one for the tombs and an evening of food. One night is possible and means choosing between them.

Which royal tombs should I visit?

Two of Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. They are different enough from each other that a third adds little on the same day.

Train or road between Hue and Da Nang?

The train along the coast is the better journey; the Hai Van pass by road is the better view. We usually do one each way.

Is Hue worth it if I have already seen Hoi An?

Yes — they are different things. Hoi An is a preserved town; Hue is an imperial capital with a distinct cuisine. Skipping Hue is skipping the history.