HUE ATTRACTIONS

HUE ATTRACTIONS

WHAT TO SEE IN HUE

Hue once served as the capital of Vietnam. Even though this is no longer the case many Vietnamese still rate the city highly as a centre of historical and cultural value.

There are many pagodas, tombs and other types of buildings that link the past to present around Hue’s beautiful countryside.

Many of them were ruined (but luckily not totally destroyed) by war but many managed to escape without any damage. Such places include the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and Long An Palace Museum.

Most Popular Attractions in Hue

Hue Imperial City 

The Complex of Hue Monuments is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located in the city of Hue in central Vietnam. Hue was founded as the Vietnam capital city by Gia Long, the first king of the Nguyen Dynasty in 1802. It held this position for nine Nguyen dynasties until 1945.

The massive complex features hundreds of monuments and ruins, such as the Forbidden Purple City, once the residence of the royal family and badly damaged during the Vietnam War, the Imperial City, royal tombs, flag tower, pagodas, temples, a library and museum.

Hue Imperial City Highlights

Hue, located on the banks of the Huong River, (aka the Perfume River) is about three hours north of Da Nang. Among the most impressive monuments in this former grand imperial capital are the Ngo Mon Gate of the imperial city which once was exclusively used by the royal family and their eunuch servants, the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang as well as the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. In fact many of the monuments surrounding the royal buildings were constructed in the early 19th century and were modeled after Beijing’s Forbidden City. The wall that surrounds the citadel is six metres high and two-and-a-half kilometres long.

The historical complex is known not only for its rich architecture but also for beautiful landscaping. Overall, the site is quite stunning. Avoid Hue between October and December as it gets most of its rain from the northeast monsoon during that period. This small city is also famous for its Imperial-style cuisine. Don’t miss it.

Opening Hours: All year round 
Location: Central Vietnam on the banks of the Perfume River

Other Attractions in Hue

Ho Quyen, Tiger Fighting Arena

The tiger fighting arena was built in 1832 under the Minh Mang dynasty to host fights between elephants and tigers. The good news is that the fights have not been held since the early 1900's but amazingly there are still some claw marks left on the walls. The arena is about three kilometers outside of Hue. 

Royal Tombs

Hue has long been recognised as being rich in Vietnamese history. There are many tombs in Hue’s countryside to see.

Visitors interested in its history should take a bit of time to admire the emperors’ tombs and most of them are located in large and beautiful grounds.

Such important tombs include Tu Duc, Minh Mang, Khai Dinh and Gia Long. 

Thanh Toan Bridge

Thanh Toan is a tile-roofed bridge built about 200 years ago over the Nhu Y River. It is not big, about 17 metres long and four metres wide and is made of wood. There is a shrine inside the bridge set up for the lady who funded its construction. This beautiful and charming bridge is about 10 kilometers east of Hue. 

Thien Mu Pagoda

The Thien Mu Pagoda is the most famous pagoda in Hue. Built in 1844 by Emperor Thieu Tri, it features golden Buddha images at the base, along with a big bell cast in 1710, and a stone turtle holding a marble stele inscribed in the 17th century.

This pagoda is also famous for being the home monastery of the Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc who, in 1963, traveled to Saigon and burned himself to death at a busy downtown junction to protest against the then government.

The Austin car he used to drive down to Saigon is on display within the pagoda too. Thien Mu Pagoda is 3.5km west of the Phu Xuan Bridge (the railway bridge). 

Voi Re Temple

Vietnam, like many Asian countries, considers the elephant as the symbol of monarchy. Voi Re Temple is located near the Tiger Fighting Arena.