Hue, Vietnam – Where to Stay ? Visit, Transport - Page 1

Hue – Orientation – Maps

Map – The Center of Hue :

Look at the following Map :

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 and the Imperial city inside of it, an important tourist attraction.
There are several bridges connecting the 2 parts. The bridge at the right was designed by Eiffel company (yes, French).

Look at this interactive Google Map :

Interactive Map : Tourist attractions + Transport + Center

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

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 which can be visited in 1 or 2 days, they all have very beautiful gardens.
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.

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.

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 Baolau or 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 and how to arrive to the city :

The airport of Hue (Phu Bai airport) is about 14 Km to the south of the city center (see on the interactive Map above)

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.

By Train

Yes, there is a train station in Hue.

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 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 in the page : What to Visit in Vietnam.

The location of Hue train station and how to arrive to the city :

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

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

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 Baolau or 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 in the page : What to Visit in Vietnam.

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

Look at this Map :

Option 1 : Hotel in City Center – North part

Marked as 1 on the Map above.

The best option in Hue for tourists. It is the most animated area at night, with cafés and restaurants. One of the street in this area is called “Pham Ngu Lao” and it has become a backpacker street (coincidently, also in Saigon, the backpacker area is called Pham Ngu Lao). There are hotels for all budget in zone 1. From here you can walk to the bridge and to the imperial city (30 minutes).

See Hotels in Hue, near the center. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels in the city Center. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

Option 2 : Hotel in City Center – South part

Marked as 2 on the Map above.

Compared to zone 1, zone 2 is the city center for business. There are banks and the commercial center Vincom.

If you will live here, you will be close to the river promenade and you can cross a bridge and arrive to the imperial city. At night, you will probably arrive to zone 1 in order to eat in a restaurant.

Option 3 : Around the Imperial City

Marked as 3 on the Map above.

There are not a lot of hotels in this side of the river. If you will live here, you can make walks at sunset around the imperial city (the park around the water canal). At night, you will probably want to cross the river, in order to be with other tourists.

See Hotels in Hue, in the Imperial City zone. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels in the city Center. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

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, to the other side of the river and arrive to the Imperial City area.

By Moto-Taxi (if you are single)

An excellent way to move around Hue if you are travelling solo. The service of Grab-Moto (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 motos. They will address you on the streets. It is much less attractive than using Grab. Their motos is 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 moto 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.

What to Eat in Hue ?

For many restaurants and international food, visit the area around the backpacker street Pham Ngu Lao (the north part of the city center).
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 1 Italian restaurant owned by Italians. If you want Vietnamese food, so of course there is no problem.
La Carambole – A French restaurant. They have attractive set menus, that you can barely finish.

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

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 :

Zone 1 (on the map above) : The City center – North part. 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.

Zone 2 (on the map above)- The Promenade : The promenade along the river. It is active in the evening, not late at night

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

Zone 3 (on the map above) around the canal of the Imperial city. It is nice at sunset, but very limited at night.

Continue to Page 2 – What to Visit 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.

A Visit in Vietnam

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Hue, Vietnam – Where to Stay ? Visit, Transport – Page 1