Tourists can take a two-day-one-night trip at 3 million VND, recommended by Ms. Chau Ngoc Kim Ngan (born in 1996, from Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City).

Although this is not a long journey, Kim Ngan learned about the culture and history of Hue, and took many beautiful photos.

“There are many ancient buildings, royal Tombs, traditional villages in Hue, so I wanted to visit this city to enlighten myself about Vietnamese culture. The trip helped me broaden my horizons, have an opportunity to enjoy the scenery of Hue, and meet hospitable residents,” Ngan said.

She visited and took photos at many famous destinations such as Hue Imperial Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, Minh Mang Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb, An Dinh Imperial Palace, Huong Thuy Xuan Village. At these sites, she chose to wear Ao Dai or formal clothes.

Hue Imperial Citadel

A ticket to Hue Imperial Citadel costs 150,000 VND per visitor. This place is the poetic background in pop star Hoa Minzy’s MV “Khong the cung nhau suot kiep.”

Hue Imperial Citadel has over one hundred prominent constructions such as Ngo Mon, Thai Hoa Shrine, Dien Tho Palace, Truong Sanh Palace, Hung Temple, The Temple…

These structures were arranged according to “left man right woman,” “left civil mandarin right military mandarin” from the inside to the outside. According to Kim Ngan, as Hue Imperial Citadel is enormous, visitors may have to spend at least three hours to roam around the place.

Thien Mu Pagoda

Thien Mu Pagoda is five kilometers to the west of Hue Imperial Citadel and central Hue. The pagoda is located on Ha Khe Hill, Kim Long Ward, facing Huong River. Travelers can observe Phuoc Duyen Tower, Dai Hung Shrine, a garden, a pine forest, and relics display area of Thich Hoa Duc, a Buddhist monk.

Besides the pagoda, there is a highly recommended eatery that sells heirloom rice dumpling cakes.

King Minh Mang Tomb

Emperor Minh Mang Tomb is also called Hieu Tomb. The main gate, Dai Hong Mon, was opened once to put the king’s tomb inside.

People must go through two sub-gates (Ta Hong Mon and Huu Hong Mon). It costs 150,000 VND per traveler to go inside.

Tu Duc Tomb

Tu Duc Tomb was considered one of the most beautiful Tombs under the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century because of its elegant design and decoration.

Unlike other tourist destinations, the Tomb is opened at half past 6am and closed at half past 5pm in the summer, while the opening and closing time in the winter is 30 minutes late. A ticket to the place costs 100,000 VND per person.

An Dinh Imperial Palace

An Dinh Imperial Palace (97, Phan Dinh Phung Road, Hue) was the home of a former royal family after the August Revolution 1945. In 1975, Lady Tu Cung (Bao Dai emperor’s mother) gave the government this palace.

The place became an attractive destination for young adults after its appearance in some movies such as Camellia Sisters. Although travelers cannot go inside the building, the view around the palace is still magnificent. It costs 50,000 VND per visitor to go in.

Xuan Thuy incense-making village

Xuan Thuy incense making village is seven kilometers from central Hue. The unique feature of the village is its bamboo flowers. These flowers are made of small, dry bamboo sticks. They are dyed red and then bunched into many big clusters.

Kim Ngan also spent her time trying local cuisine. Hue residents think that food must be beautifully decorated and delicious.

Some dishes in Hue visitors should try are beef rice noodle, mussel rice, floating fern-shaped cake… The cost ranges from 7,000 to 20,000 VND, while others like beef rice noodle cost around 30,000 VND per serving.

What surprised Kim Ngan was that, at night, there were many activities for people to do. Tourists can walk on Trang Tien Bridge, the banks of Huong River, square, park…

Nhu Khanh

Photo: Kim Ngan

A dish in Hue

Banh ep (in Vietnamese ep means “press” or “exerting physical force on something”), literally “pressed pie,” is a dish from Hue City in Thua Thien-Hue Province. The pie seems to be a simple dish yet it is really delicious.

Magnificent beauty of Hue imperial city's gates

Through many ups and downs, ten main gates of the Hue imperial city have still stood majestically and added charm to the land of “Than Kinh”, another name of the former capital city.