The historic capital of Vietnam, Hue, sits astride a trulymajestic and beautiful river, the Song Huong (Perfume River). Thenorth-bank is host to its share of hotels and restaurants, but the areais dominated by the old fortified city known as the Citadel, spreadacross more than 5 square kilometres of ground, crowding out developmenton that side of the river. As a result, guesthouses, hotels andrestaurants have sprung up on the south bank, starting with the riverroad, Le Loi Street, and stretching further south. The south bank of theriver has been developed as park cum promenade, with an eclecticvariety of public sculptures on display.

Hue is the capital of Thua Thien Province, with a population ofabout 340,000. Its location in central Vietnam, just south of the DMZ,made it a scene of heavy fighting during the American War. It\'s 15kmwest of the South China Sea and about 540km south of Hanoi and 644kmnorth of Saigon. While the city is also known for the manufacture oftextiles and cement, tourism has become its bread and butter.

Hue\'s complex history has earned it a reputation as a political,cultural and religious centre, but nowadays, visitors to contemporaryHue will find a city that only dimly reflects on its past, andonly does so as a begrudging nod to its western visitors. Like HalongBay to the north, the complex of tombs, pagodas and palaces throughoutHue and its surrounds has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.But to the Vietnamese psyche, shaped by centuries of war and struggle,tempered by nearly forty years of communist rule, this heritage islargely irrelevant and completely disconnected from the present. Theoverwhelming sense one gets from the city, on even the most casualvisit, is of an unstoppable forward drive, and of a people constantlylooking to the future.

But the profitability of tourism has lead to a paradoxical situationwhere, in order to move forward, the citizens of Hue must pry open thosedoors to the past they would rather leave shut. As a result, thetourist industry here has developed into a half-hearted attempt to givethe foreigners what they want and send them on their way. While this hasbeen effective in one sense -- a steady stream of tourists keepsshowing up and paying for tours -- in the larger scheme it has alsomeant many poorly-run tours and disappointed travellers.

At the moment, Hue is a premier tourist destination mostly in theory. Inpractice, it\'s still a work in progress. That notwithstanding, it\'s abeautiful, vibrant city, with great places to stay, great food, and anumber of interesting things to do, on and off the well-worn touristtrail of historic attractions.

Advice on tours in Hue
Basically, if you want to be sure to enjoy the \'culture tour,\' you\'regoing to have to pay for it. The only consistently worthwhile tourswe\'ve heard of, or taken ourselves, were private tours where you get toroll your own itinerary. It needn\'t be that expensive. A day-long tourby motorbike should be US$7, by car, $40 for 2 people, and by Minivan,$60 for up to 10 people. Some tours include admission: the Citadel, andthree tombs: Tu Duc, Khai Dinh, and Minh Mang, are all 55,000 VND, so besure to factor that in to the price. All other sites are free ofcharge.

As a rule of thumb, go for a small group tour booked through a reputablecompany rather than a \'guide on the street.\' That said, we met somegood guides on the street, and some crappy guides that worked throughcompanies. So, in either case, being able to size up your guide makesthe critical difference.

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  King Ming Mang Tomb

   12km far from Hue city, King Ming Mang’s Tomb is located on the left branch of the Perfume river. The tomb was built as the plan drawn out by the king himself and the middle of the pine forest. The construction started in 1841 after the king's death. The palace, the pavilions and the entrances are harmoniously built around two big lakes that make these more luxurious and peaceful. see full details

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  King Khai Dinh Tomb

  Khai Dinh is the twelfth King of Nguyen Dynasty and he is also the father of King Bao Dai, the last king of Vietnam. The construction of the tomb started from 1920 to 1931. The conception of its architecture and decoration got the European influence. The multi-colored ceramic inlaid style makes his mausoleum gracious and magnificent. see full details

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  King Tu Duc Tomb

  7km far from Hue city, King Tu Duc’s Tomb is surrounded by a brick wall. Tu Duc was the fourth King of Nguyen Dynasty. He had his tomb constructed in 1848 when he was still on the throne. The tomb was built according to the plan based on two axes: one for the mausoleum and another for the palace. The tomb comprises of an important number of buildings, man-made ponds full of nenuphars and lotuses, crossed by various bridges and covered by frangipanniers. This is one of the most romantic and splendid masterpieces. see full details

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  Royal Tombs

  There are eight royal tombs in Hue that are the final resting places of the Nguyen kings. Among them, Tu Duc Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb and Minh Mang Tomb are often visited. Most of the tombs face the south-west, the direction of the Imperial City and they were all started while the reigning king was still alive.  Although all are unique in structure and design, most of them consist of two compounds. The first is reserved for funeral services and the second is the tomb proper. The tombs are open from 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. daily (from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter). see full details

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  Museum of Royal relics

  The beautiful hall that houses the Museum of Royal Relics was built in 1845 and restored when the museum was founded in 1923. This is a precious wooden construction of Hue’s unique palace architectonics. The first sight catching visitors’ eyes is the walls inscribed with 1,000 poems written in chu nom – Vietnamese script. Most of the exhibits displayed here bear characteristics left by the last Vietnamese feudal dynasty. Here visitors can find the everyday utensils (such as clothing, sedans, gongs, etc.) of the King and the royal family and other aesthetics decorative works in the palaces of Hue. The museum is located at 3 Le Truc St. and open daily from 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. see full details

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  Imperial Citadel

   The construction of the moated citadel, which has a 9,950m-long perimeter, was begun in 1805 on the northern bank of the Perfume River by King Gia Long. The Citadel was originally made of earth, but between 1818 and 1832 it was paved with a 2m-thick layer of bricks in the style of the French architect Vauban. The King’s official functions were carried out in the Imperial Enclosure, a citadel-within-a-citadel with a perimeter of 2,450m. The Imperial Enclosure has 4 gates, the most famous of which is Ngo Mon Gate (or Southern Gate) used as the main entrance. Within the Imperial Enclosure is the Forbidden Purple City, which used to be the living quarters of the King. With more than 100 buildings such palaces, temples, fortresses, etc., the Citadel is the most interesting place to visit in Hue. see full details

• Restaurant

    Tropical Garden Restaurant 5 Chu Vu An St. (Classic Vietnamese restaurant.) Ong Tao Restaurant 134 Ngo Duc Ke S, (Good menu. Open until 10 pm.) Mandarin Cafe 12 Hung Vuong St. (Geared to the small budget Travellers, vegetarian dishes and famous banana pancakes) Tinh Gia Vien Restaurant 20/3 Le Thanh Ton St., Hue Song Huong Restaurant Le Loi St north of Trang Tien Bridge.(Friendly. Good food at a reasonable price.) Que Huong Restaurant 75 Nguyen Sinh Cung road Tropical Garden Restaurant 5 Chu Van An road, Hue (Vietnamese Cuisine) Am Phu 35 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. (All types of Hue specialties, good prices.) Ba Nhon Restaurant Le Duan St, inside an old bus station (Vietnamese food at low prices) Tinh Tam 4 Chu Van An St., Hue. Vegetarian restaurant Tropical Garden Restaurant 5 Chu Van An road, Hue (Vietnamese Cuisine) Am Phu 35 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. (All types of Hue specialties, good prices.) Ba Nhon Restaurant Le Duan St, inside an old bus station (Vietnamese food at low prices) Tinh Tam 4 Chu Van An St., Hue. Vegetarian restaurant see full details

 Shopping

Hue is known as the best place to collect souvenirs. Hue conical hats (Non) are famous throughout Vietnam and are an important collector\'s item for anyone who visits the city.

It is considered a great gesture to buy one of these and gifting it to a Vietnamese friend or your host for the trip. Below is some main places that you can easily find souvenirs for your trip in Hue:

1) Chu Văn An

Chu Van An Street lies in the east part of Hue City, from the Tu Do Stadium until the Perfume River. On both sides of the street are situated shops and stores that offer fashionable jewelry, clothes, shoes and accessories. The Chu Van An Street is famous for many silk paintings of high quality, which can be found in numerous specialized shops situated on this street.

2) Lê Lợi

Le Loi Street lies along the Perfume River’s shore and it starts from a bridge and ends at the other. Here are situated many souvenir shops, bookstores and art galleries, and you’ll also find a great number of restaurants and bars. You’ll be fascinated by the wooden miniatures, painted silk, fantastic reproductions made by talented local artists as you get closer to the culture of this enigmatic country.

3) Trần Hưng Đạo

After passing the Trang Tien bridge from the Le Roi street, you’ll reach the Tran Hung Dao Street that lies along the Perfume River, on the south part of Hue Citadel. This shopping street is famous for the great variety of conical Vietnamese hats - Nón lá - that every tourist must have. Besides numerous shops and bars, here you’ll see many stall vendors with fruits and souvenirs.

4) Đông Ba

Dong Ba Market is a famous landmark and is located in Citadel Hue. It is a great place to see the everyday life of local people, as well to purchase everything you’d think of. Dong Ba Market is the oldest market in Hue - it was built in 1885 and is also the largest food market in the city. Here you can try exotic fruits and vegetables, as well as many local delicacies. The market offers a great range of souvenirs and crafts.

5) Mai Thúc Loan

Mai Thuc Loan Street is a very popular shopping street that lies in the east side of the Citadel, from the Imperial City until the Dong Ba Canal. It is the place where many talented artists come to sell their works. Here you’ll find great reproductions of famous Vietnamese artists, but also on Mai Thuc Loan Street are situated many galleries where you can get acquainted with the works of local artists. This “cultural” street will get you closer to traditional Vietnamese art and crafts.

6) Tây Lộc

Tay Loc Market is situated in the northwest part of the Citadel Hue, near the Tay Loc Church. This market is mostly for the local population but tourists are also extremely welcome here. Tay Loc Market is the second largest food markets after Dong Ba Market and here you can find everything as well. Fresh fruits and vegetables, colorful national garments and conical hats, wooden miniatures and handmade jewelry and many other authentic objects made by local talented and hardworking people are available for purchase.