Hue, Vietnam

Taking an evening flight into Hue, we landed at 9:05 pm and slowly made our way to our hotel. We were told at check-in that the building next door was doing construction and they offered to move us to their sister property, but with it being so late at night, we were exhausted and ready to fall into bed.

However, Jamie was hungry, so despite the late hour, we ventured into town in search of food. We found a bustling street and went for nachos. My first impressions of Hue are positive with a lively vibe and cool French architecture that reminds me of New Orleans. We did in the end switch hotels to have a less great location, but we ended up taking it slow in Hue so it didn't make a huge difference being a bit further outside of the city. With only a small dose of sightseeing, here are the top moments from Hue.

Huế Imperial City

The weather forecast for our stay in Hue predicted rain every day, which made me anxious that we might be uncomfortable exploring and visiting the sites. The Hue Imperial City covers 520 hectares and generally requires good weather to be fully enjoyable, as you're outside for around three hours. Jamie wasn't feeling well, but miraculously, the weather was sunny on the first day. I encouraged him to push through, and we joined a free walking tour of the Imperial City at 2:00 pm to explore the grounds of the former Vietnamese emperors.

We ended up with a nicely sized tour group, consisting of four other participants. The tour guide was a young man who had graduated from university two years ago, but he was very knowledgeable about the history of Vietnam, its rulers, and the period of French occupation. The highlight for me was seeing the balcony where the last ruler of Vietnam abdicated in 1945 and the restoration of the palace. They had only finished some of the restoration work about 10 weeks ago so we were among the first group of people to see the sights as they would have stood in the 1800s. It's hard to envision the site with 30,000 guards on its perimeter protecting the royal family's lodging, but it was fun to hear the stories of court with rumors of an emperor being poisoned by his nanny and another sleeping with a servant to produce an heir despite allegedly being gay.

Dragon Boat

Following our hotel's suggestion, we took an evening cruise on the Perfume River that featured traditional music and singing by performers dressed in 'Ao Dai' costumes. The most memorable part for me was releasing our lanterns onto the river. Although we didn't understand the performance since it was entirely in Vietnamese, experiencing the traditional folk music, once exclusive to the King, was unforgettable.

Mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang

After touring the imperial city, we asked our guide which tombs were the must-sees, as several emperors were buried in Hue. He recommended Minh Mang (the second emperor) and Khai Dinh (the twelveth emperor). We only visited Emperor Minh Mang's tomb because we got caught in a downpour, and Jamie felt that once you've seen one tomb, you've seen them all.

Located 12 kilometers from the city, we took a 25-minute motorbike ride to the tomb. Regarded as the finest blend of landscape and architecture among all the tombs, Minh Mang personally chose the design and location of his tomb. However, the tomb was largely constructed by his successor and son, Thieu Tri King, between 1840 and 1843, as Minh Mang passed away in 1841. Spanning an area of 18 hectares, it is surrounded by a wall enclosing 40 historical structures, including palaces, temples, and pavilions. Our audio guide described Minh Mang as a staunch Confucian known for his firmness, which explains why his tomb emphasizes symmetry and grandeur.

Finally Time for Hội An!

After five nights in Hue, it was time to take the tourist train from Hue to Da Nang. Taking three hours, the train went by the coast and had some pretty views, but Jamie and I hardly slept the night before so we mostly snoozed. Once we got into Da Nang, we had a free cab to our hotel in Hoi An, the neighboring town. We had considered staying in Da Nang versus Hoi An since Da Nang is the larger city (and has a Hilton), but Hoi An is known as the ancient city with more tourist attractions, so it made more sense for us.

We'll be in Hoi An for a while (nine nights) since we were trying to pick the cheapest flight to Ho Chi Minh, but we have a few day trips planned that I believe will make the time pass quickly.

I'm excited about the lantern festival, tailored clothing, and coconut boat, so stay tuned as I have more to share soon!