Hue from Da Nang: The Imperial City, Which Tombs to Choose, Thien Mu, and Doing It in a Day over the Pass

Hue was the capital of the Nguyen emperors from 1802 until Bao Dai abdicated in 1945, and its Imperial City, a walled palace complex inside the citadel on the Perfume River modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City, was largely destroyed in the 1968 Tet Offensive and is being rebuilt hall by hall. A day trip from Da Nang or Hoi An is standard: two to three hours each way, and six hours in Hue for the citadel, one or two tombs, the pagoda and lunch. It is a long day and a rewarding one; a night in Hue is better if the itinerary allows.

Enter by the Ngo Mon gate, cross to the Thai Hoa throne hall, then the ruined and restored courtyards behind: the Forbidden Purple City's foundations, the To Mieu temple with the nine dynastic urns, the restored Kien Trung palace (reopened 2024), and the Royal Theatre, where a short court-music performance runs a few times a day. Two hours with a guide, who is worth having here more than anywhere in Vietnam because so much is absent and needs explaining. Shoulders and knees covered inside the temples.

Seven Nguyen emperors built tombs along the river south of the city, each to his own taste, and a day allows two. Tu Duc's, the most beautiful, is a lakeside park of pavilions where the emperor wrote poetry; Khai Dinh's, up 127 steps, is a 1920s concrete-and-mosaic extravagance, small and startling; Minh Mang's is the most classically composed, symmetrical along a lake. Tu Duc and Khai Dinh are the usual pair and sit close together. Each has its own ticket; combined citadel-and-tombs tickets save a little.

Thien Mu pagoda, the seven-storey tower on the riverbank west of the city, is Hue's symbol and the home of the Austin car that carried Thich Quang Duc to his 1963 self-immolation in Saigon. Dragon-boat rides on the Perfume River from the city to the pagoda are the pleasant half hour between the citadel and the tombs; tours include them or a taxi. The Hai Van Pass guide covers the road there.

Group day tours from Da Nang or Hoi An with lunch run USD 45 to 80 per person via the tunnel; private cars USD 90 to 150 for the day, more via the pass. Take the pass one way at least. Hue is 3 to 5 degrees cooler and much wetter than the coast from October to January, so pack a jacket and a rain layer. Bun bo Hue, the beef and lemongrass noodle soup, is the lunch; the imperial small dishes (banh beo, banh nam, banh loc) are the afternoon snack. The best time to visit Da Nang page has the seasons.