Hue
Grand citadels, ornate royal tombs and Vietnam's finest cuisine on the Perfume River make Hue an elegant honeymoon destination.
Best Feb – Apr
Central Vietnam
Culture & Heritage
2 – 3 nights
Grand citadels, ornate royal tombs and Vietnam's finest cuisine on the Perfume River make Hue an elegant honeymoon destination.
Hue is Vietnam at its most refined. The Nguyen Dynasty built their capital here on the banks of the Perfume River, and the legacy fills every corner. A 10-kilometre walled citadel, a Forbidden Purple City modelled after Beijing's, and royal tombs scattered through wooded hills south of the city.
For couples, the romance is built in. Sunset dragon boat cruises on the Perfume River come with court music and floating lanterns. Azerai La Residence is a restored 1930s colonial mansion facing the citadel across the water. And the food, from spicy bun bo Hue to delicate banh beo, is considered Vietnam's finest regional cuisine.
The city straddles the Perfume River in central Vietnam, with the Imperial Citadel on the north bank and the French-influenced new town to the south. Phu Bai Airport is 15 kilometres away, with daily flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The scenic drive over the Hai Van Pass from Da Nang takes around 2.5 hours.
The UNESCO-listed citadel is the anchor. Built between 1805 and 1832, it encloses the Forbidden Purple City where only the emperor, his concubines and eunuchs could enter. The Thai Hoa Palace throne hall still stands, though much of the complex was damaged during the 1968 Tet Offensive and remains under restoration. Beyond the walls, Thien Mu Pagoda sits on a hilltop above the river, its seven-storey octagonal tower visible for miles. The most atmospheric approach is by dragon boat, drifting upstream at sunset.
The royal tombs deserve at least half a day. Tu Duc designed his as a lakeside retreat for poetry and meditation. Minh Mang's covers 18 hectares with 40 structures and blooming lotus ponds. Khai Dinh's is the wild card, a concrete mountaintop palace covered in extraordinary glass and porcelain mosaics made from broken crockery. Back in town, Dong Ba Market sells poetry-stitched conical hats and sesame candy, and the evening scene is gentle, with illuminated bridges and riverside restaurants rather than nightclubs.
February to April is ideal, with warm days of 22 to 30 degrees, low humidity and minimal rain. May and June are hot but dry. Avoid October and November when heavy monsoon rainfall can cause flooding in low-lying areas.
Phu Bai Airport has daily flights from Hanoi (1 hour 15 minutes) and Ho Chi Minh City (1 hour 20 minutes). The scenic Hai Van Pass drive from Da Nang takes 2.5 hours, or the train covers the same route with coastal views in about 3 hours. We arrange private transfers for all our honeymoon packages.
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