Hue

Hue served as the imperial capital of Vietnam for nearly 150 years under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), and the city remains the country's most concentrated repository of royal heritage. The UNESCO-listed Imperial Citadel dominates the north bank of the Perfume River, enclosing the Forbidden Purple City, royal palaces and ceremonial halls within walls stretching over 10 kilometres. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, fierce fighting caused severe damage to many structures; decades of painstaking restoration continue to this day, and hidden underground tunnels from that era still run beneath the complex.

Scattered along both banks of the Perfume River south of the city are seven elaborate royal tombs, each designed as a pleasure palace by the emperor who would eventually be interred there. The Tomb of Tu Duc, set around a tranquil lotus lake, doubled as a retreat where the emperor composed poetry. Khai Dinh's tomb blends Vietnamese, Chinese and European architectural styles with dazzling mosaic interiors fashioned from broken porcelain and glass.

Hue's culinary heritage is equally distinctive. The city is the birthplace of cung dinh (royal court cuisine), a tradition in which as many as fifty cooks once collaborated on a single imperial banquet. Today, visitors can sample refined versions of these dishes at local restaurants. The city is also renowned for bun bo Hue, a complex spicy beef noodle soup whose signature sa te chilli paste requires six or more hours to prepare from over a dozen ingredients.

The Perfume River itself takes its name from the aromatic flowers that fall into the water upstream during autumn. A slow boat cruise passes Thien Mu Pagoda, the oldest religious structure in Hue, where the Austin car that carried monk Thich Quang Duc to his famous 1963 self-immolation is still displayed. Tucked into quiet lanes of the old quarter are over one hundred nha vuon — traditional garden houses with walled compounds of fruit trees, bonsai and lotus ponds — a residential architecture found nowhere else in Vietnam.

Hue is served by Phu Bai International Airport (HUI), about 15 kilometres south of the city centre, with domestic connections to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Da Nang International Airport, 100 kilometres south, offers wider regional connections. The scenic Hai Van Pass route between Hue and Da Nang is itself a major attraction.