In this guide: Where to Stay · What to Eat · Imperial City · Handicraft Villages · Shopping · Hue-Da Nang Train · Watch Video
Most travelers doing two weeks in Vietnam never make it to Hue. They’ll spend days in Hoi An, rush through Da Nang, and treat Hue as a day trip — if they visit at all. That’s really unfortunate, because Hue rewards the kind of traveler who slows down.
Hue is one of my favorite cities in Vietnam. There’s no mass tourism here. You won’t find the big group tours that crowd Hoi An’s streets. Instead, you get a city that still moves at its own pace — quiet mornings along the Perfume River, long meals with complex flavors you won’t find anywhere else in Vietnam, and craft traditions that have survived for centuries in the villages just outside town.
I’ve been to Hue many times, and every time I wish I had stayed longer. On this trip, I finally gave myself three full days — and I’m so glad I did, because I came away with a much deeper appreciation for what this city offers when you’re not rushing through it.
A City Built for Walking
Hue is a relatively small town, and that’s part of its charm. There’s a beautiful boardwalk right next to the Perfume River where cars and bikes aren’t allowed. No dodging traffic, no honking — just the river and the sky.
In the evening, the city gets even better. The buildings, landmarks, bridges, and boardwalk are all lit up. It’s a low-key vibe — locals hanging out along the water, couples on the benches, street vendors with their carts.
I stopped for a drink at Le Cercle on the rooftop, overlooking the Perfume River. The weather was perfect. Not crowded, not peak season, just sitting up there watching the sunset view. A really chill vibe that you don’t get in Vietnam’s bigger cities.
Where to Stay in Hue: A Cautionary Tale
I booked the Le Carre Hotel for two nights on Agoda. It’s a newly built hotel with 50 rooms, and I chose it for its central location near the walking street and its price — about $40 a night. The design is nice, rooms are spacious, and the pool overlooks the Perfume River. Breakfast is included, with both Vietnamese and Western options.
But here’s what I didn’t expect. The walking street area — which used to be the backpacker district — is closed to traffic on weekends (Friday to Sunday, 6pm to midnight) and packed with bars blasting music from every direction. My hotel was so close that I was essentially sleeping in a nightclub. I was genuinely surprised the reviews didn’t make a bigger deal about this.
I couldn’t sleep. So at 2am I was on my phone booking a different hotel for the next day.
My advice: If you want to be near the walking street for its restaurants and cafes but need to actually sleep, book a hotel that’s set back from the main road. I moved to the TTC Imperial Hotel, which is around the corner but further from the noise. Problem solved.
The TTC Imperial was a completely different experience. Even their lowest category room was generously sized — a queen bed plus a single bed with plenty of space. The bed was firm, the shower pressure was great, and I had a beautiful view from the 12th floor. It’s the kind of hotel where you don’t mind spending a quiet afternoon in your room before heading out again — which is exactly how I like to travel.
Eating Like a Local, Not a Tourist
One of the best things about spending real time in Hue is the food. Hue’s cuisine is distinct from the rest of Vietnam — more complex flavors, more variety, and incredibly affordable. But you can’t appreciate it in a single meal. The dishes here are layered and specific, and they deserve attention.
I skipped hotel breakfast every morning and went out into the city instead. That’s how I prefer to travel — eat what the locals eat, where they eat it.
Bun Bo for Breakfast
Bun Bo is a popular breakfast item, and it’s worth waking up early for. Even though it’s called beef noodle soup, the broth is actually made from both beef and pork bone, cooked with lemongrass stalks and fermented shrimp paste for that deep umami taste.
It normally comes with beef shanks with optional pork knuckles and sausage, but I like mine with just the crab meatballs. The soup is topped with onions and comes with a side of greens, which helps balance out the strong flavor.
Hue Rice Cakes: The Perfect Snack
One of the foods I always have in Hue are the rice cakes. They’re more like a snack or appetizer than a meal, and there are many different types. Two of my favorites:
Banh Uot Tom — steamed rice rolls with shrimp. The rice sheets are paper-thin, with steamed shrimp inside topped with shrimp floss. You dip them in fish sauce with garlic and chilies.
Banh Beo — steamed rice cakes served in small saucers, normally 8 to 10 per platter. What I like most is the pork rind topping — it adds a nice crunch and contrasting flavor.
Com Hen: Not for Everyone, But Worth Trying
This is one of my favorite Hue dishes, but I’ll be honest — it’s an acquired taste. If you’ve watched Anthony Bourdain’s Vietnam episodes, you would have seen him eat this same dish in Hue.
Hen is a river clam, and it’s one of many ingredients in this complex dish. The base is either rice or vermicelli noodles, topped with multiple spices, sauces, clams, and pork cracklings for crunch. You mix it all together, then add the clam juice, which has ginger that neutralizes the pungent pastes. Either way, it’s good — but it’s the kind of dish you need to sit with and appreciate, not rush through. It was so good, I actually had two bowls while sitting there chatting with the cook.
The Best Banh Mi I’ve Had in Vietnam
No trip to Hue is complete without their banh mi. I found a place down the street from my hotel that I could eat at three times a day — and nearly did. They have more than a dozen ingredients to choose from, so you build your own sandwich.
The prices are unbelievably cheap. A single-ingredient banh mi is just 15,000 dong (about $0.60), and the special is only 25,000 dong ($1). They have special ingredients I haven’t seen in banh mi anywhere else, like Thit Xiu — pork belly braised in a savory-sweet sauce that’s normally eaten with rice. Their homemade mayo spread is amazing.
This is the kind of place you only find when you stay long enough to wander past it a few times.
Che Hue at Dong Ba Market
At the Dong Ba Market food court — Hue’s largest market — you’ll find Che Hue, sweet soups with about 20 varieties of flavors that you can mix and match. Jackfruit, purple taro, lotus seed, different types of cooked beans. You make your own combination or order from the menu. It’s a great place to try many of Hue’s specialties under one roof.
The Imperial City: Take Your Time Here
The Imperial City is one of the most impressive historical sites in all of Vietnam. Built in the 1800s during the Nguyen Dynasty — Vietnam’s last royal family — it’s essentially a walled city of royal households covering 520 hectares.
This is not a place to rush through. You can easily spend 3 to 4 hours exploring the palaces, temples, and gardens, and even then you won’t see everything. If you’re a history and architecture enthusiast, I recommend hiring a guide or joining a tour to appreciate the complexity of this vast compound.
Get there early in the morning, before the heat sets in. If you arrive by 8:30am, you can catch a reenactment of the Nguyen Dynasty’s Changing of the Guard ritual.
One of the most striking buildings is the Kien Trung Palace — a fusion of traditional Asian design with ornate European architectural elements. Inside, there’s an exhibit with the emperor’s palanquin and other artifacts from the Nguyen Dynasty.
The Hueritage Boat: A Culinary Cruise on the Perfume River
Right after visiting the Imperial City, I walked to the nearby pier to board the Hueritage boat for an hour-long cruise on the Perfume River. This is a relatively new experience — a culinary-themed cruise with different set menus for each departure.
The boat seats about 20 guests, so it feels intimate. The interior is beautifully designed with elements from royal motifs and local art, including Truc Chi, a paper art form from Hue. They’ve put a lot of thought into the details.
The food is a modern interpretation of traditional Hue cuisine. I’d actually recommend trying the traditional dishes at local restaurants first — so you can appreciate how the cruise reinterprets them.
The cruise costs about $22 per person and includes a beverage, the meal, and dessert. Not cheap by Vietnamese standards, but for the food quality, service, and the experience of being on the Perfume River, it was worth it.
Hue’s Handicraft Villages
This was one of the highlights of my entire trip — and the kind of experience that’s only possible when you give Hue more than a day.
I set off one morning on a private half-day cycling excursion, 10 kilometers outside the city, through the countryside to visit different handicraft villages. These aren’t tourist attractions. They’re working communities where families have practiced traditional crafts for generations — some for centuries.
Sinh Village: 500 Years of Woodblock Folk Painting
The excursion starts with a 30-minute boat ride to Sinh Village, known for its woodblock folk painting — a tradition going back 500 years. The prints are made on Dzo paper, which comes from tree bark, and the colors come from natural sources like leaves and flowers. Originally made for worship and ceremonies, today they’re also popular as souvenirs.
Paper Flower Village
The next village is known for its paper flower making. These crafts are passed down through families, but with younger generations less interested in carrying on the tradition, production has slowed to part-time, made on demand.
The flowers look simple, but after trying it myself, I realized how many steps and details go into each one. It gave me a much better appreciation for this craft — and a reminder of how much you miss when you’re just passing through.
Clay Kitchen God Figurines in Bao Vinh
Near the town of Bao Vinh, we stopped at a household making clay figurines of the kitchen god. It’s a very labor-intensive craft — the figurines are hand-molded, sun-dried, and baked before being painted. Every Vietnamese household traditionally has one, believed to bring harmony and stability to the home.
Demand peaks before Lunar New Year, so I was lucky to visit when they were in full production. And knowing this is a craft that may not exist much longer, I felt really privileged to have seen it firsthand.
What to Buy in Hue: Souvenirs and Local Specialties
Hue has its own specialty items — handicrafts, foods, and artisan products that you won’t find anywhere else in the country.
Handicrafts
Non Bai Tho (Poem Conical Hat) — Every visitor to Vietnam sees conical hats, but Hue’s version is special. When you hold it up to the light, hidden poems and designs appear through the palm leaves. They’re handmade in Tay Ho Village, where girls learn the weaving technique from around age 10. You’ll find them at Dong Ba Market and at Hue Craft Space near the boardwalk.
Sinh Village Woodblock Prints — These folk paintings are made on Dzo paper from tree bark, using natural pigments from leaves and flowers. Originally made for worship and ceremonies, they make unique wall art that’s lightweight and easy to pack. If you visited the handicraft villages, you can buy directly from the artisans. Otherwise, Hue Craft Space carries them.
Truc Chi Paper Art — A craft specific to Hue, these delicate artworks are made from the bark of the Dzo tree. They range from small decorative pieces to framed art, and they’re one of the more distinctive souvenirs you can find in Vietnam.
Food Specialties to Take Home
Me Xung (Sesame Candy) — Hue’s most famous edible souvenir. It’s a chewy candy made from malt syrup, roasted sesame, and peanuts. Look for established brands like Thien Huong or Song Huong at Dong Ba Market or any supermarket. It keeps well and packs easily.
Hue Chili Oil — The chili oil in Hue has a different flavor profile from what you’ll find in other parts of Vietnam, thanks to the local chili varieties. A small bottle goes a long way and makes a great gift for anyone who cooks.
Lotus Seeds and Lotus Tea — Hue’s Tinh Tam Lake is famous for its lotus flowers, and the seeds and tea made from them are considered a Hue specialty. Lotus tea has a delicate, calming flavor, and lotus seeds are used in both sweet and savory cooking. They’re a thoughtful gift, especially for tea drinkers.
Royal Court Tea (Tra Cung Dinh) — Blended from herbs following recipes passed down from the Nguyen Dynasty, this tea is unique to Hue. It’s widely available at Dong Ba Market and specialty tea shops in the city.
Where to Shop
Dong Ba Market is your one-stop destination for food specialties, fabrics, and everyday souvenirs. It’s Hue’s largest market and the prices are local — just be prepared to bargain.
The Walking Street area near Pham Ngu Lao has a concentration of souvenir shops and clothing stores alongside the bars and restaurants. It’s convenient if you’re staying nearby and want to browse in the evening. You’ll find a mix of tourist-oriented souvenirs, locally made clothing, and accessories.
Hue Craft Space next to the boardwalk is the best spot for handicrafts, with artisans working on-site. Prices are fair and fixed, so no bargaining needed.
Healing the Wounded Heart Shop is a small charity shop where disabled artisans create bags, jewelry, and home decorations from recycled materials. Profits support disabled children in Hue Province. Worth a visit for unique gifts and a good cause.
Getting from Hue to Da Nang by Train
If you want to experience train travel in Vietnam but have limited time, the Hue to Da Nang route is perfect. It’s only four hours and you get scenic views along the famous Hai Van Pass — which the UK’s Top Gear called one of the best coastal roads in the world.
On a sunny day, the colors are striking. The forest is bright green, and the sea is a deep aquamarine. On a rainy day, there’s not much of a view — so check the weather forecast if the scenery matters to you.
Two Types of Trains
SE Train — the regular north-to-south route from Hanoi to Saigon. More departure times but usually more crowded. Different seat options including sleeper carriages with 4 to 6 beds.
HD Heritage Train — designed specifically for tourists on the Hue-Da Nang route. Two daily departures (morning and afternoon). Less crowded, with a cultural-themed carriage featuring live traditional music and Hue rice cakes. It also stops at Lang Co Station so you can get out and photograph the scenery.
Both types have soft seats and air conditioning, so comfort is similar.
Booking Tips
Book through the Vietnam Railway official website. Be careful — there are many third-party sites that look official but charge more.
For the best views: Book a seat on the left side (window) going Hue to Da Nang. From Da Nang to Hue, it’s the right side.
Regardless of the weather, train travel in Vietnam is an experience in itself. If you’re the kind of traveler who enjoys the journey as much as the destination, this route is made for you.
Why Three Days Changed How I See Hue
Three days gave me enough time to explore beyond the city highlights — but I know there’s still more to experience, which means another trip back in the near future.
Most Vietnam itineraries treat Hue as a stopover. I think that misses the point. This is a city that reveals itself slowly — in the complexity of a bowl of Com Hen, in the patience of a woodblock painter in Sinh Village, in the quiet of the Perfume River boardwalk after dark.
If you’re the kind of traveler who prefers depth over distance, Hue is your kind of city.
