Hue, Vietnam – How to Arrive, Where to Stay, What to Visit ?

Page 1- Useful Info about Hue
Page 2 – Where to Stay in Hue
Page 3 – What to Visit in Hue

Hue – Maps – Orientation

Map 1 – The Center of Hue

Map 2 – Interactive Map : Tourist attractions + Transport + Center

Points in Green : Airport + Train Station
Points in Red : City Center
Points in Blue : Tourist Attractions

A quick Orientation

There is a large river (Perfume river) passing horizontally in Hue.
Below the river is the main activity of the city. Here are the shops and hotels. On the north side of river, there is the ancient citadel (a fortress) and inside of it the Imperial city, which is the main tourist attraction of Hue.
There are several bridges connecting the 2 parts. The bridge at the right was designed by Eiffel company (yes, French).

How is the city of Hue ?

It is a medium sized city, with a large river (called “Perfume river”). There is a long promenade beside the river and it is the most attractive part of the city, in the evenings.
The main tourist attraction of Hue is an ancient citadel, an imperial city, at the north side of the river.

Hue citadel was the capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty about 200 years ago, it is now a Unesco site (more history in Wikipedia). There are also several attractions in the suburbs of Hue which can be visited in 1 or 2 days. They all have very beautiful gardens (see the page : what to visit in Hue).

Except the tourist attractions (which are very impressive), the city itself is less attractive than Saigon or Hanoi, but it is easier to relax here. At sunset, it is nice to walk in the gardens around the imperial city or on the promenade beside the river.
Almost all the tourists are sleeping in the same zone : the north part of the city center and this zone has a vibe of its own (a touristic vibe). See the page : Where to Stay in Hue – The Potential Zones

Is it worth to visit Hue ?

Yes, the citadel is special (and some other attractions). The city center where tourists stay is pleasant and also walking along the river is nice. Still, I would categorize Hue as a place to visit attractions and not as a place to which you would hurry to visit a second time (I am visiting Hoi-An often and much less Hue).

If you are short in time and you must choose between Hue and Hoi An, then choose Hoi-An.
As for the ease of arriving : It is easy to visit Hue. The city has a railway station and it is close to Da-Nang and Hoi-An (the city is also located on the main path Saigon-Hanoi).

So. yes, you should definitely visit Hue, on your first visit to Vietnam, especially if you are already in this area.

How to arrive to Hue ?

Hue is quite close to Da-Nang, just 80 Km separate them.

Da-Nang is located at mid way between Saigon and Hanoi : 620 Km aerial distance to Hanoi and 610 Km aerial distance to Saigon.

Hue by Flight

The cool way to arrive to Hue. There is an airport in Hue and there are a lot of cheap flights from many cities in Vietnam. The flight time is short.
Alternatively, you can land in Da-Nang and continue by land.

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

The location of Hue airport

The airport of Hue (Phu Bai airport) is located about 14 Km to the south of the city center.
See location on Google Maps or on the interactive Map above.

Arriving from the Airport to Hue Center

From the Airport by Taxi or Grab (car or motorbike) or Private car of the Hotel
Price is around 12 dollars (can vary) and the travel takes less than 30 minutes.
From the Airport by “Airport Bus” :
It goes to the city center, near Vincom commercial center. Frequency : about every 30 minutes.

Hue by Train

The Train is a good way to arrive to Hue. Hue is located on the main train line Hanoi-Saigon.

If you arrive to Hue from Da-Nang, it is relatively a short ride. The view from the train between Da-Nang and Hue is one of the best of Vietnam.

The train station in Hue is only 2 Km from the center.

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.
See what I wrote about the trains in Vietnam on the main page of the website.

The location of Hue train station

The Train station of Hue is near the city center, on the left side. About 2 Km from the “left bridge” .
See location on Google Maps or on the interactive Map above.

How to arrive from the Train Station to the center

See how to move inside the city (The transport).

Hue by Bus

Hue is a popular destination, and there are a lot of bus companies arriving to Hue from all over Vietnam. You will easily find a place on a bus (day or night bus).

The private bus companies, will drop you in the city center.

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.
See what I wrote about the buses in Vietnam on the main page of the website.

Hue by Motorbike

In Vietnam, there is an option to rent a motorbike in one city and return it in another, for example between Hoi An and Hue. Your bag will travel in a bus and you will receive it at destination. Ask your hotel or a travel agency about this rental option.

Where to Stay in Hue ? – Hotels

See this on the page : Where to Stay in Hue – The Potential Zones.

How is the Climate in Hue ?

Hot, usually.
Like in all Vietnam, there is the dry season and the rainy season. The months from September to January are very rainy.

Here are average temperatures and rain, in Hue :

Month	Max (C)	Min (C)	Rain (mm)
January	23	17	170
February	25	19	50
March	28	21	60
April	32	23	50
May	35	25	100
June	35	26	80
July	34	25	90
August	34	25	100
September	32	24	400
October	29	23	550
November	27	22	550
December	23	19	300

How to Move in Hue ? – The Transport

By Foot

Hue is not as compact as Hoi An city, but you can cross by foot one of the bridges and arrive to the Imperial City area.

By Moto-Taxi (if you are single)

An excellent way to move around Hue if you are traveling solo. The service of Grab-Motorbikes is excellent, but you need a Smartphone and a phone number (see what I wrote about Grab, in the Saigon Transport page).
There are also the “free lancers” with motorbikes. They will address you on the streets. It is much less attractive than using Grab. There motorbikes are in bad shape and they will ask you for an higher price and they will try to take you to places you didn’t ask for.

By Taxi or “Grab” Taxi

Using Grab cars is easy (see what I wrote about Grab, in the Saigon Transport page ). Even if you want to use a regular taxi, the Grab application can be useful because it can indicate the price of the ride (fill the destination in the application and it will show you the tariff). Grab cars is slightly cheaper then regular taxis (Grab motorbikes is much cheaper).

Rent a Motorbike

It is a good idea to rent a motorbike in Hue in order to visit the attractions around the city. The countryside is beautiful.
A typical rent price is 150,000 Dong per day.
Make sure you have experience riding a motorcycle and it is better to be equipped with an international driving license for the case of accident.

Organized Tour

This is an easy way to arrive to the main attractions of Hue, outside the center.
See organized tours from Hue

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus – Touristic Bus

This service is active when there are enough tourists in the city.

Rickshaw

It is a tourist attraction and a way of transport for short distances.

What to Eat in Hue ?

For many restaurants and international food, visit the area around the backpacker street Pham Ngu Lao. This is also where most tourists are staying for the night (Hotels).
The choice for international food is not as good as in Hoi-An or Saigon. Apparently Hue is not a preferred destination for expatriates with a dream of opening a restaurant. I could not find even one Italian restaurant owned by Italians. If you want Vietnamese food, of course there is no problem.
La Carambole – A French restaurant. They have attractive set menus, so big that you can barely finish.

Risotto Restaurant – Italian cuisine.

The owner is not Italian but they prepare excellent Pasta and Pizza.

Also :

Zucca Restaurant – Italian cuisine. Also in this case, the owner is not Italian but they know how to prepare good iItalian food.
La Boulangerie Française – This is a social project. They have learnt how to prepare French pastries and it is the best place in Hue for a croissant.
Shiva-Shakti Indian Restaurant – It is great that you can always count on an Indian restaurant for Vegetarian food.
Why Not ? Restaurant – They have Mexican food and other types of cuisine. The name is very cool.

There is a local beer (from Hue) called Huda. It tastes like water (and water is good), so prepare to see this beer everywhere.

A breakfast is served in most hotels. See the page : Where to Stay in Hue – The Potential Zones

What to Buy in Hue ?

Buy one of these T-Shirts with the Hue symbol. They are beautiful and can be found everywhere.

Where to go out at Night in Hue ?

Look at the following Map :

Option 1 : The City center – North part

Marked as 1, on the Map above.

It is where most of the hotels are, the restaurants and the nightlife for bars.

One of the streets is called Pham Ngu Lao and it is the backpacker street.

Option 2 : The River Promenade

Marked as 2, on the Map above.

The promenade along the river is active in the evening, but not late at night

On feasts and week ends, the promenade is of course more alive.

Option 3 : Around the canal of the Imperial city.

Marked as 3, on the Map above.

It is nice at sunset, but very limited at night.

Continue to Page 2 – Where to Stay in Hue ?

On Thailand :

Other Stuff :

What to Pack ? the visual list that will help you prepare the suitcase.
Visit my Vegetarian Page. Why be Vegetarian ? What to eat ?
Visit my Salsa Dance Page. Salsa main Styles. Why Dance Salsa ?
See City Information about 2 more cool cities: Barcelona and Tel-Aviv.
Listen to nice Songs with translation in French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew.
Listen to basic Words In Spanish, French, Hebrew

If you find incorrect data on this page, like a restaurant that has closed or a big river that has moved or you want to tell me something, please write me to contact.