HOW TO GET TO HUE: There are a variety of ways to get to Hue.
Bus To Hue
The cheapest way to get to Hue is Hop-on, Hop-off bus. Most people start with the Vietnamese sleeper bus journey from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. From Hanoi, it is about £9.70 and takes about 13 hours. From Ho Chi Minh it will cost about £13 and take around 25 – 27 hours. Buses in this part of the world are the best way to travel cheaply, with comfortable sleeper chairs, wifi, charge points, and toilets. Just keep your things–valuables and clothes with you at all times!
Most people travel from Hoi An to break up the long bus journey. It is only a 3.5 – 4.5-hour bus journey costing around £5.60.
Train To Hue
Another type of transport you can do is take a train that you think will be quicker than the bus, but it is not. The train from Hanoi is 13- 15 hours and will cost you around £13 for a ticket. The train from Ho Chi Minh will take about 18.5 - 22 hours long. It will set you back around £16 for a ticket.
Flight To Hue
Some people opt for the quicker way which is by flying there to avoid the long bus journey. If you fly from Hanoi it will only take 1 hour and 15 minutes costing you around £30. The flight from Ho Chi Minh will take 1 hour and 25 minutes costing you around £30.
Moped To Hue
One of the most popular ways to travel around Vietnam is by renting a motorbike or moped. You can rent a Moped for the day from around £7.50 and for the month around £40. The one thing I would say about getting them is not to rent them the whole time you are in Vietnam. As on Night buses, you meet lots of other backpackers going to the same places as you.
HOW TO GET AROUND HUE
Walk
The best way to get around Hue is to just go walking. And it does not cost you anything. The best way I love to see a city is just walking around it. You get to see more and explore things you would have missed being on Transport.
Bus
Comego says that you should not take buses around Hue as they are very dodgy for foreigners and the routes are confusing. Plus Hue is a small city so you can get mostly around by walking.
Moped
Another way of getting around Hue is by renting a moped, this is a great way to get to the main attractions as they are very far from all the Hotels and Hostels. The prices for renting a moped are the same as the method earlier in the article.
Taxi
A Taxi in Hue will be very pricey and for the day it will cost you around £14.50. Remember to check the distance it takes to avoid scamming.
Bicycle
Lots of people in Hue ride Bicycles and you can rent one for the day for around £11.30.
WHERE TO STAY IN HUE
Hue has a huge variety of Hotels and Hostels to choose from. The Best Budget Hotel in Hue Vietnam
Hue Four Seasons Hotel offers great service and they offer free breakfast. It is in a great location close to most tourist things. They also have a small swimming pool. It cost £9 for a room.
The Best Budget Hostel in Hue Vietnam
The best hostel is the Freedom Hostel which is one of the most popular hostels in Hue and is located right in the center of the tourist district. They have a 6-bed female dorm and a 10-bed mixed dorm. It cost £3.21 for a dorm bed and breakfast is included.
Best Mid - Range Hotel in Hue Vietnam
Hue Serene Palace Hotel is in a great location in the City close to most things. The room is very modern and comes with a TV and even a personal computer. There is WIFI throughout the hotel. The starting price for a room is around £28 and includes Breakfast.
Best Luxury Hotel In Hue Vietnam
Best Western Premier Indochine Palace is located in the city center. It offers free WIFI, An outdoor pool, night club, and 5 dining options. It is less than 1.2 miles to the attractions. The rooms come with a balcony that can overlook Hue Lake or the Pool.
The rooms come with a fireplace, flat-screen TV and bathroom with a separate bathtub and shower. You get all this for £89 and includes breakfast.
WHERE TO GO IN HUE
1. HAI VAN PASS IN HUE
If you are going to Hue from Hoi An or from Hue to Da Nang, then I suggest you rent a moped for the day. It is one of the best things to do in Vietnam.
Hoi van Pass is a mountain road that takes you along the coastline. It is a 20-kilometer strip of road that joins the city of Da Nang and Lang Co in Hue. The views you get going along the Hai Van pass are spectacular, so go very early, as you will be stopping a lot along the way to take in the views.
Be warned that it can be dangerous to drive along that is why they made the Hai Van Tunnel and is the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia at a length of 6.28 km. some of the sharp curves make it completely impossible to see oncoming traffic especially lorries. If you just take it slow you will be fine.
Along the Hai Van Pass, there are places to stop along such as elephant falls and you can read more about it on my post 2 weeks in Vietnam.
2. THE IMPERIAL CITY
One of the most popular places to visit in Hue is the Imperial City. It is a walled enclosure within the city of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. It was built in the early 1800s under the orders of Gia Long, who was the first ruler of the Nguyen Dynasty.
It was used as the imperial seat of Government, but not for a long time. It was bombed heavily throughout the 20th century due to the wars with the French and Americans.
How much does it cost to go in?
The Imperial City entrance fee:
● Adults: 150,000VND
● Children aged 7-12 30,000VND What Are The Imperial City Opening Hours?
From the 22nd April to 15th September, you can visit between 8am to 10pm. The long hours opened to make it great for the vast amount of tourists descending to Hue in the summer. Outside of the summer months, it is open from 8am till 5:30pm, except on Thursday when it is open till 10pm. For up to date opening hours, head to their official website
3. BACH MA NATIONAL PARK
Bach Ma National Park is a protected area in Vietnam near Hue. It is about 220 km². It is very easy to get to Bach Ma National Park from Hue.
It is a French hill station. The French built a vast variety of villas there. The area saw some heavy fighting in the early 1950s and again during the American War
The area is covered with lots of hiking trails and few campsites. It cost about £1.40 to enter the park.
4. HUE MUSEUM OF ROYAL ANTIQUITIES
The Hue Museum of Royal Fine Art is a museum dedicated to Vietnam’s imperial past and arts of that era.
It is located outside of the Citadel’s walls. This is the best thing to do after you have been to the Citadel’s walls, as the ticket for the Citadel’s walls covers the Museum Of Royal Antiquities making it free.
Price
Hue Museum of Royal Fine Art Entrance fee: £1.74
Opening time
Summer: 6.30 am – 5.30 pm Winter: 7.00 am – 5.00 pm. Closed Mondays.
5. HUE ABANDONED WATER PARK
One of the most unusual things to do in Hue is to visit the abandoned water park. It was once an entertaining area including an aquarium, Water Park, yachting, and a restaurant. It opened its doors in 2004 and 2011 they decided to close it because of the low-efficiency. Now it has been abandoned.
This is a new tourist hotspot for those wanting to get great Instagram’s and is full of influencers. It is a great place for anyone that loves photography. I wish I went there when I was in Hue.
Find out how to get into the Abandoned Waterpark in Hue. It is only 20 minutes’ drive from the hue. The best way to get there is by renting mopeds for the day for about £4 if you ask your hotel or hostel they get you one.
As the waterpark is big it will take you a long time to go between the attractions inside the park if you are walking, so drive between each one. You can still get a taxi if you want.
6. TOMB OF KHAI DINH
The Tomb of Khai Dinh is one of the nicest tombs Hue has to offer. It is located in Chau Chu Mountain near Hue. It was built for Emperor Khai Dinh, he liked French architectural design and you can see it in the building.
It was built in 1931 that took 11 years to complete. It is situated on the side of a mountain and you get stunning views of it.
Tomb of Khai Din opening hours:
It is open Monday –Sunday 7am- 5:30pm
Tomb of Khai Dinh Entrance fee: Entrance fee is £4
7. DONG KHANH TOMB
Dong Khanh tomb is about 5km from Hue city center for about 1 hour. It took 35 years and 4 kings to make it. As many different emperors got different architects. They all add their touches to the Tomb.
Dong Khanh did not have time to design his tomb and the one we see before us today is very Europeanised in style. The tomb is lined with elephants, horses, and warriors statues.
Dong Khanh Tomb opening time: It is open 24 hours.
Dong Khanh Tomb Entrance fee:
Adults: 50,000 VND per person for one visit about £1.74
Children: Free
8. MINH MANG TOMB
Minh Mang Tomb is a resting place of the Nguyen Dynasty, the second king, whose reign represents the top of Nguyen power over the country. It is about 12 kilometers from Hue City.
The Tomb towers above all the other buildings and there are trees around the tomb. Every building works in conjunction with the composition of the whole place.
Minh Mang Tomb opening time:
08:00 AM – 06:00 PM Monday – Sunday
Minh Mang Tomb entrance fee: Adults £5.23
Children £1.05
9. THIEM MU PAGODA
Thien Mu Pagoda is a temple in the city of Hue. It has a seven-story pagoda and some say it is the unofficial symbol of the city. It overlooks the Huong River. It was built in 1601 but a new one was built and the current one that back dates to 1844. The very tall Tomb makes it one of the highest views in Hue.
It is surrounded by a lush garden that is great to wander around. The pagoda is also a site of political significance, as Buddhists protesting against the oppression of the Catholic government were sadly killed here in 1963. It is one of the main attractions in Hue.
Thien Mu Pagoda opening time:
8am – 6pm Monday – Sunday
Thien Mu Pagoda entrance fee:
As it is on the edge of the river you can get a boat ride to it for around £12 but the entrance fee to
Thien Mu Pagoda is free.
10. HO QUYEN TIGER FIGHTER ARENA
Ho Quyen Tiger Fighter Arena was once an arena for tigers and elephants to fight to entertain Kings and the rich. It is located 3km outside Hue. It was built in 1830, the fighting has now long stopped in 1904.
When you visit you can still see the remains of the tiger claw marks. Before each fight, they gave the tigers drugs. They also removed their claws, so they couldn’t fight the elephants that came at them.
This is because the elephant represents the empire, whereas the tiger was a sign of rebellion and it had to be crushed.
Ho Quyen Tiger Fighter Arena Opening hours:
08:00 AM – 05:00 PM Monday – Sunday Ho Quyen Tiger Fighter Arena entrance fee: A ticket starts from £5.64
11. HUE CITY - BICYCLE TOUR
Hue is a great City to rent out a bicycle for the day. To rent the Bicycle for the day it will cost around £2. Enjoy the nice peaceful cycle along the Huong River.
You can also go on an adventure out of the city to the Hue countryside where you can see the farm life, shop at a village market, and visit an agricultural museum.
12. DONG BA MARKET
If you are wondering what to do in Hue at night then Dong Ba Market is the place. This is a great place to go shopping. It is the biggest commercial center in that whole region of Vietnam.
You can buy everything from conical hats to traditional Vietnamese food. Be warned that because you are a tourist they will rip you off, so try to haggle and get 50% off the asking price.
As well as this, it is the biggest commercial center in Vietnam, you will need to watch out for pickpockets.
Dong Ba Market opening time:
It opens from 3am till 8:30pm Monday – Sunday.
13. HUE FESTIVAL
Hue Festival is a big cultural event of Hue City that is held every two years. It is a week-long normally in April, May, or June.
The first Hue Festival took place in 2000. It is to celebrate Hue once being the old capital. It is like the Olympic ceremony, the Hue festivals are opened with a firework display. There is a vast variety of events going on throughout the week.
14. ELEPHANT SPRINGS
Elephant Springs is just outside Hue. It is one of the best things to do in Hue. As Vietnam is a very hot country it is great to take breaks while traveling and Elephant Springs a great place to do that. It is located merely 17 km away from Hai Van Pass.
The Elephant originated from a large stone at the top that looks like the elephant. You can jump into a pond in cool water to cool down from the heat.
Elephant Springs Entrance fee: It is about £2
Elephant Springs opening time:
There are also no official opening hours, as it is a public space.
15. PHUONG - PARTY UNTIL MIDNIGHT
Phuong is one of the best nightclubs in Hue. The nightclub is built in the form of a theatre. There are two floors and there is a stage upfront where locals and tourists can dance with the cabaret dancers. The music ranges from live Vietnamese pop to loud Vina House.
Location: 65 Nguyen Cong Tru; Hue, Vietnam
Timings: 11 AM – 2 AM
Nguồn: Internet
