Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
(+84) 942777545
sales@vietnamescapetours.com
Need Help?
Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Many families vied to rule Vietnam over its history of dynastic rule, but none are more famous today than the Nguyen Dynasty. Between 1802 and 1943, the 13 members of the Nguyen family who ruled Vietnam’s final dynasty did so from the city of Hue, selected as capital for its geographically central point in the newly united Vietnam.
Hue’s legacy is forever tied to that of the Nguyen family. Here they built the Imperial Citadel, a monumental and ostentatious structure made of the finest materials by the country’s most skilled craftsmen. The citadel was placed here according to Vietnam’s best geomancers, spiritual experts who declared that the Perfume River and its mountainous borders would provide the best fortune for the new emperors of Vietnam.
Such natural beauty at the doorstep of the former capital makes for some of the best day trips from Hue. The glorious Perfume River is one such attraction, but Hue’s natural beauty stretches further south of the city, passing national parks, beaches, lagoons and what is regularly voted amongst the world’s best mountain pass roads.
Hue day trips also take in two facets of Vietnamese culture that bloomed during the Nguyen Dynasty – handicrafts and cuisine. Historically, citizens looking to impress the emperors would have to excel in jewellery, calligraphy, folk art or cooking, all of which are lines of heritage that remain intact today.
The following are Vietnam Escape Tours’ day trips from Hue, each coming with a professional guide, transport and a fascinating look into Hue’s life as the proud former capital of Vietnam.
The beating heart of imperial Vietnam was in Hue for the 141 years of Nguyen rule. A full-day tour of Hue reveals the mystical wonders of Vietnam’s final dynasty before it became a republic. Naturally, the Imperial Citadel is the main highlight of these tours, as all of Vietnam’s power emanated from here and especially, its Forbidden Purple City.
The brazen Imperial Citadel was home not only to 13 Nguyen emperors between 1802 and 1943, but also their extended families, allies and especially in the case of Emperor Minh Mang, a sizeable number of concubines. The citadel is blessed with incredible gates, courtyards and gardens throughout its grounds, matched by fabulous architecture and some of Vietnam’s finest handicrafts within its several buildings. Its mysterious Forbidden Purple City was modeled on the Forbidden City of Beijing, prohibiting access to all but the closest and most trusted of Nguyen family members. No day tours of Hue omit the Imperial Citadel from their itinerary, as the formative history of not just the city, but the country took place within its walls.
The lifeblood of imperial Vietnam was the Perfume River, so named for the apparent sweet fragrance it gives off because of its passing through forests of flowers, imbuing the waterway with pleasant smells. It was decided that the citadel would be placed on the banks of the Perfume River due to both the natural protection its affords but, possibly more importantly, because of the spiritual fortune this would provide for the Nguyen Dynasty. Boat tours of Hue’s Perfume River wind around the various contours of the waterway and reveal the gorgeous forested mountains sloping up at the banks. They also pay a visit to one of the city’s architectural icons – the 7-storey Thien Mu Pagoda, which has been standing tall at the river’s edge since 1601.
After death, the Nguyen emperors were buried in lavish tombs in the countryside around Hue. Some of these, like the Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang or the Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh are incredible feats of architecture and are well-preserved, making them favourites of full-day city tours of Hue. Lesser-known tombs like those of Gia Long and Thieu Tri are also worthy of a visit due to their quiet atmosphere. Nature has slowly been reclaiming these sites and the architecture is a little neglected, but that merely adds to the charm.
It is unknown to most foreign visitors that much of Vietnam’s current cuisine has strong roots in Hue. The city became a culinary smorgasbord of new inventions under the Nguyen Dynasty, who would pay large sums of money to chefs to create new and exciting recipes for the royal court. Eventually, the food here filtered down to the locals outside of the Imperial City, and now Hue’s residents are immensely proud of their distinctive street food scene.
Food tours of Hue are now a very popular way for visitors to try once-royal dishes such as cơm hến (rice with crispy clams), bánh xeo (fried pancakes with shrimp), bún bò Huế (soup with noodles and heavy meat) and chè (sweet dessert derived from coconut milk). Those wanting to take a more hands-on approach to the city’s food can do so through a Hue cooking class, taking place outside the city on the shores of Tam Giang Lagoon. This class teaches guests how to create classic Hue cuisine under the guidance of local chefs, who have been well-versed in the food of Hue throughout their lives.
Despite its description of a ‘village’, Thuy Bieu is actually located just on the outskirts of Hue. This wasn’t always the case, but the modern expansion of the city was one that engulfed this small village just to the west of the former capital. Thuy Bieu was one of the secluded holiday areas for the royal emperors who, like today’s visitors, found a great deal of peace and serenity in the luxuriant greenery carpeting the area.
Hue day trips to Thuy Bieu village use bicycles as their main transportation, running along village paths in between overarching foliage. Tours visit the glorious architecture of the village’s garden houses, built and frequented by kings in the midst of lush forest. Pomelos are the most famous export of Thuy Bieu, all stemming from verdant orchards that entice visitors inside.
As beautiful as Hue’s nature is in the outskirts of the city, tourists heading south will find a wealth of gorgeous and green attractions to explore. Visiting these is certainly within the capacity of a day trip from Hue and those making the effort to explore them on a guided tour will find national parks, lagoons and beaches awaiting them. There are also some of central Vietnam’s most historic handicraft villages to be found here, adding important cultural heritage to a land of sublime natural surrounds.
Many of the administrative capitals of Vietnam have an airy and reclusive neighbour of nature where emperors and governments can retire for some quiet relaxation. In Hanoi, this is Ba Vi, in Saigon, this is Cat Tien, and in Hue, this is Bach Ma National Park. Bach Ma historically provided relief from the intense weather of heat and rain in Hue, which is notoriously some of the worst in the country. The 220km2 park is perfect for this as its forests provide shade and its lofty heights offer a cool breeze and incredible views.
Day trips from Hue to Bach Ma National Park show tourists the same attraction that Vietnam’s imperial rulers found in the park and its outskirts. Cau Hai Lagoon is usually the first to feature, as this is an excellent spot to look across the flat expanse of water and see fishermen making their living. This is often followed by a drive to one of the mountain peaks, which surveys a vast area of land, shoreline and forested limestone extending all the way to the Annamite mountain range at the border with Laos.
Lang Co Beach is a glorious site not just because of its own natural beauty, but also because it crowns the end of the Hai Van Pass, one of the world’s top mountain roads. This 10km-long straight beach is full of white sand and sees a lot of sun, but most of its beauty is in its background. Lang Co Lagoon is a huge reservoir of water behind the beach, which in turn is backed onto by the Phu Gia mountain range, all contributing to the natural beauty of Lang Co Beach and its neighbouring village.
Hue’s handicraft villages are dotted around the former capital in every direction, but many occupy rural regions just to the south. Such villages enjoyed the height of their popularity during the Nguyen Dynasty, as each specialised in something different and immensely appealing to the luxury-seeking emperors. Many are still operational today, utilising most of their residents to create crafts of a highly skilled and stylistic nature.
Some of Vietnam’s emblematic crafts came from these villages, the most famous of which is probably the nón bài thơ, the iconic conical hat of the country. Folk art, paper flowers, jewellery and calligraphy made in other villages captured the flashy wealth of the Nguyen emperors. Day trips from Hue to its handicraft villages take in the long-established traditions of Sinh, Thanh Tien and Duong No villages, as well as the splendid Thanh Toan Bridge over a lush countryside estuary.
North of Hue, the landscape is characterised by both glorious nature and remnants of the Vietnam War. Some of these are interwoven, such as at Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam’s Demilitarised Zone and other areas reachable in a day trip from Hue. Central Vietnam’s incredible lagoon and beach scenery continues its dominance, while more of Hue’s craft villages extend their long history beside the former capital.
While Bach Ma National Park can provide incredible views from up high, Tam Giang Lagoon is the king of scenery for the lowland areas. This is the biggest lagoon in Southeast Asia and as such, commands a great expanse of calm water that shimmers under the sun above it. Sunrise here is a momentous time of the day, as Tam Giang hugs the eastern shoreline, glistening in beautiful red hues daily under the emerging sun.
For all of its natural beauty, what matters most to the people of the area is its abundancy of fish. Visitors can watch fisherman across the dream-like scenery on a day trip from Hue to Tam Giang Lagoon, taking place on a sampan boat where tourists can get a close-up view of the locals’ hardworking fishing practices across the 220km2 stretch of water. These tours often feature a visit to a village as well, either Thuy Bieu or the fishing village of Ngu My Thanh.
One of the most popular full-day tours from Hue is to Phong Nha Ke - Bang National Park. This is unsurprising, given the breath-taking beauty of the region and its tendency to wow visitors with some of the best mountain, rice paddy and river scenery across Vietnam. What really enthrals tourists though is the caves, which come in all shapes and sizes including the largest in the world, Son Doong, discovered as recently as 2008.
Though Son Doong is off limits to anyone unwilling to part ways with stratospheric amounts of cash, guided day trips from Hue to Phong Nha Cave still take in a great scope of the national park’s inner beauty. The eponymous Phong Nha Cave is the longest river cave in the world, requiring a jaw-dropping sampan boat ride to reach its prehistoric entrance. The unique life that reaches throughout its three chambers has evolved here for millions of years, taking shelter beneath enormous stalactites that once acted as the roof for Vietnamese troops stashing weapons in the cave’s dry areas.
The true geographical centre of Vietnam during the Vietnam War was a 3km-wide border between the North and the South. This stretch of land from coast to Laotian border saw some intense fighting throughout the war, which reached across the Ben Hai River and came to be known as the 17th Parallel.
Jungle has now reclaimed much of the area that was once cleared for fighting. Hien Luong Bridge crosses the Ben Hai River, a place where many died during the war but now the scene of jubilant celebrations every year on Reunification Day. Khe San Combat Base is centred around a strategic rockpile where U.S troops spied on the enemy, while the Vin Moc Tunnels below the ground hid village residents from enemy eyes. Day trips from Hue to the DMZ absorb all of this modern history on a fully guided tour.
Hue’s weather is famous amongst Vietnamese for its extremes. Rainfall especially can come in long periods and with serious force, flooding parts of the city and its outskirts. Add to this the strong sunshine that inspired the invention of the shade-providing conical hat, and it becomes clear to see why the Nguyen emperors regularly left Hue to holiday in its nature.
The wet season in Hue runs from September to February and can be unrelenting at times. Weather is usually cooler during these months because of the consistent cloud covering, meaning that while the sky may seem a little dull, visitors can be sure that the cooler weather encourages exploration.
The heat takes a step up between March and August, where temperatures can reach a scorching 40°C (104°F) at times. This would be a great time to visit Phong Nha Cave, as much of that day tour is spent inside a cool and dry cavern, as well as many other low-effort destinations such as Tam Giang Lagoon and a few handicraft villages. Rains ease off considerably during the dry season, though occasional bursts can cause some chaos.
Vietnam Escape Tours guarantees excellent services across of our range of day tours from Hue. The following is what you can expect from an experienced Vietnam tour operator like ourselves.
Please see all of Vietnam Escape Tours’ day trips from Hue listed below. Feel free to contact one of our agents if you have any questions – we are always available to help!
