VietNamNet Bridge – Those who are in Danang for vacation and wish to discover neighboring provinces should consider Hue as a perfect destination, especially on a bus tour instead of the train.

A view of Khai Dinh Tomb on Chau Chu Mountain.

We departed for Hue from Danang City by bus to admire beautiful Lang Co Beach and Hai Van Tunnel, the longest in Southeast Asia. Tourists are charged just VND120,000 for a one-way bus trip. The hotel we chose to stay at was the two-star Thanh Noi Hotel in downtown Hue priced at just VND500,000 for a double room. The advantage of the hotel is that its location is inside a romantic and peaceful garden and easy to get access to other popular sightseeing spots in the city.

Khai Dinh Tomb is always a top destination to discover. It is on Chau Chu Mountain and is 10km southwest of Hue City. We were impressed to see two lines of meticulously carved stone soldiers standing on a yard leading to the tomb.

Thien Dinh Palace which is also at the site appeals to visitors due to its magnificent statues made from glass and pottery.

Another must-visit place is Thien Mu Pagoda located by the romantic Huong River. Tourists can admire the seven-storey Phuoc Duyen Tower at a height of 21 meters and see a lot of precious antiques and statues of Buddha dating back hundred of years ago. There are also artifacts of Dao Tan, the ancestor of tuong (Vietnam’s classical drama) or a tower to worship late monk Thich Don Hau, a well-known leader of Thien Mu Pagoda.

At night, tourists can enjoy a cyclo trip around the city and stop by a food shop at Am Hon intersection on Mai Thuc Loan Street to enjoy savory bun bo Hue (Hue-style noodles). Then, tourists should head to Vy Da Hamlet after crossing Trang Tien Bridge    to sip a cup of coffee at Vy Da Xua Café in a typical garden house of Hue. On the way back to the hotel, people should not miss Hue-style sweet soup priced at VND12,000 per glass.

The next morning of the trip travelers are advised to explore Hue’s traditional breakfast food including com hen (mussel rice) or bun hen/mi hen (mussel noodles) at the corner of Han Thuyen and Le Thanh Ton streets at a cheap price of VND7,000 per bowl. After that, they should keep on discovering other tourist attractions like Dai Noi (Hue Imperial Inner City) where they can watch a video clip introduction.

Dai Noi, which is divided into the Hoang Thanh (royal citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (forbidden citadel), is the largest and most important heritage building in the ancient capital.

Construction started in 1804 and finished in 1833. There were 100 different constructions inside the palaces but most of them were destroyed by natural disasters and wars. UNESCO has contributed money to restore parts of the citadel.

A lunch at Khong gian xua at 205 Dien Bien Phu Street is where people can taste Vietnam’s traditional food including com nieu (rice cooked in an earthenware pot), va tron tom thit (va fruit mixed with pork and shrimp), mit luoc mam nem (boiled jackfruit served with a sauce made from fish or shrimp), thit heo kho ruoc sa (pork braised with shrimp paste) and Hue-style cakes.

The weekend was over and it was time to head back to Danang to fly to HCMC. However, we didn’t forget to head to Dong Ba Market, the most famous market in Hue City to buy specialties like cha bo (beef paste), keo me xung (sticky candy made from malt and sesame), and Thanh Tra fruit.

Source: SGT