8 Fantastic things to do in Hue – Vietnam – TREKwithBECK

5 Feb 2024

Hue is a beautiful city, located just North of the popular Hoi An. This small town is rich with culture and history and is a great place to stop for a few days while travelling through Vietnam. In fact, it’s a must to get your cultural and temple fix in Vietnam!

This city is much more laid back than other tourist places, as there is much less traffic and remarkably fewer tourists. It was nice to get away from crowds and the hustle that you usually get in Vietnamese cities. It is a very easy city to get around, either by a motorbike, cycling or even walking! There is more to see here other then just the temples and tombs, National parks and beaches are very close by to this city!

How long to spend here?

I would spend at least 2 days here, this gives you time to explore the temples, tombs, and ancient city one day. Then explore the national park, beaches, and countryside the other day.

How to get around?

There are 4 main ways I would recommend getting around Hue; Grab, motorcycle tour, self drive and walking/cycling.

It is very easy to catch Grab taxis or motorbikes around Hue, very cheap as well! You will be able to visit majority of places using this service. However, places on the country side or slightly out of the city, you may need to organise other transport.

This is how I got around Hue, for a big day of exploring! You will be approached by many people on the streets, asking if you want a motorcycle tour or not. I was approach by a lovely man named Hieu who asked if I wanted a tour. I don’t usually do this, but he had a good price and lovely personality so I thought why not, and booked a day tour with him! Hieu is the owner of Hue Riders, a motorcycle tour company that has been operating since 2007.

The tour included all the major stops in and around the city and cost me about $30 AUD for the full day. This was a private tour, so I found this to be excellent value. I highly recommend booking with Hieu, if you aren’t confident on a scooter and want to cruise around Hue on a motorcycle!

If you are comfortable riding a scooter or motorbike, then this is the cheapest option! The roads in Hue are pretty well maintained, especially to the tourist spots. Even though Hue is a smaller city, with much less traffic – I wouldn’t recommend self driving if you are new or lack confidence.

Although cycling and walking to the main attractions is possible, they are about 10km from the main city. This is a great option if you are physically fit and would be a great way to see Hue! You can easily walk to places like the markets, restaurants, Pagoda and Imperial city from the main city centre.

Things to do

Thien Mu Pagoda is a historic temple In Hue, only a short walk or taxi ride away from the city centre. This iconic 7 story pagoda is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the city. The name, translates to “Heavenly Lady. It is derived from a legend. A long time ago, local people in Hue saw an old woman in red appear on top of Ha Khe Hill regularly every night. Once, this lady foretold to people here that the Lord would visit, building something very important on the land where she was standing. This prophesied the construction of a pagoda that would bring prosperity to the area.

Entry here is free, and you will need about 30-45min to explore the temple.

Photo by Tom D’Arby on Pexels.com

The Imperial City is another historical landmark in Hue, and a highlight. The Imperial city takes up a large area of central Hue, and within its walls are a collection of important publics buildings and places of worship. Gia Long, the first emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty founded the city in 1803. Less then a year later he proclaimed himself as the emperor of Vietnam and move the capital to Hue.

There is plenty to see here and you will need about 2-3hrs to explore the grounds. If you are into history, I would recommend hiring a tour guide to really make this experience. Entry is 200,000 dong for adults and 40,000 dong for children.

Im sure you would have seen this abandoned water park on your social media already! This is a unique stop in Hue and I recommend you spend an hour or two exploring here. The park is both beautiful and eerie at the same time . With the massive abandoned dragon, which is the highlight of the park. Abandoned waterslides with overgrown trees and massive swimming pools completely empty.

To get here, you can ask a local or simply pop the name in google maps. You will need a scooter or a guide in order to get to this water park. I went with a motorcycle tour, so I didn’t need to bride anyone or pay an entry fee. I am not 100% sure if this is something you will need to do if you visit here independently, so keep some change on you.

There are plenty of tombs and Mausoleums to visit here in Hue. If fact you could spend the whole day visiting just this, if you have the time and the money! If you are only staying here for a few days, I would recommend trying to see the ones below. Each tomb/Mausoleum is uniquely different and beautiful In its own way. You can easily visit these by yourself or with a tour guide.

Mausoleum of Emperor Tu Doc – 150,000 dong
Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh – 150,000 dong
Imperial tomb of Dong Khanh – 100,000 dong

Photo by Hugo Heimendinger on Pexels.com

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again – I will always visit the night markets in any city! There are a few markets in Hue, Dong Ba Market is the most popular and iconic. This market has been operating for over 120 years, divided into 3 floors – there is plenty to see! Here you can get local foods, clothing, local handcrafts and much more. It’s a great place to stop for souvenirs. This market operated from 5am till 7pm, so if you are looking for a night market there is one that opens from 5pm-11pm.

If you are looking for a night out, head to Hue Walking street. Located in the centre of the backpackers area, this street is lined with restaurants and pubs! It has a very energetic vibe with lots of neon lights (very common in Vietnam). The street is closed off to traffic and operates from 5pm to 11pm.

There are plenty of cheap, good quality vintage stores in Hue. Most of the best ones are situated very close together, so you can go and have a browse at them all within an hour or two! I love shopping at vintage stores in other countries as you never know what you are going to find! I was able to find some cute staple tops for under $5 AUD, which was great for my world tour.

The best vintage stores:

Rintage
Crowdow
La Mer Vintage

I unfortunately ran out of time to go and explore the outskirts of Hue (mainly due to bad weather), but Bach Ma National Park was really high on my list! The weather wasn’t in my favour, plus there wasn’t any tours available for me to go out to Bach Ma National park. However, if you visit during the correct time, and love nature. I recommend visiting Bach Ma National Park, of some hiking and waterfalls.

There are several countryside tours you can complete in Hue as well, I only went as far as the Japanese Bridge (which I honesty don’t recommend, it’s just a bridge). These will take you to multiple view points and small villages.

Vietnam has incredible dishes and Hue is really good at showcasing this! I had some of the best food I had in all of Vietnam in Hue. The best local foods I ate ate, Bun Bo Hue (beef noodle soup), Banh Xeo (stuffed pancakes) and Grilled pork with vermicelli. There are plenty of restaurants offering great meals at low prices, but these were some of my favourites. I highly recommend all of these!

Chaleng Thai Food – This was the BEST Pad Thai (I was craving Thai food)
Madam Thru Restaurant – All round fantastic meals
Quan Chay buffet lac Tam Vegan Restaurant – Great vegetarian and vegan options
Maison Trang – Great place to try a range of local dishes for 150,00 dong!
Da:ME Cafe – excellent coffee, must try the salted cream coffee here.

Like this post? Pin it and share it with others!