That’s right. I have a picture of Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World here to remind you that Hue is actually pronounced like “way”-No way! (Look it up if you don’t get it)

Hue is a really special place! It’s located in central Vietnam-about 2 1/2 hours from Da Nang. It was the capital city of Vietnam and the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors from 1802 until 1945.

We toured Hue as a full day trip from Hoi An and although it was a long, hot day, it was really worth the drive!

After we left the vibrant city of Da Nang, passing the famous “China Beach“, we were treated to lush mountains and spectacular coastline views. Our guide stopped and took us to a French built fort that was used as a bunker and is currently an archeological dig site. Pretty cool!

Hue was really beautiful. Our first stop was the Imperial City of Hue. A walled palace within a walled city and of course, it was pretty awesome and grand!

The city was seized in 1968, during the Vietnam War, and you can still see bullet holes in many places. About 10 buildings remain from the original 100+ structures. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.

The Vietnamese government realizes what a great tourist attraction they have and are currently working to restore the buildings.

Our next stop was the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady. This historic 7 story temple is really pretty and it overlooks the Perfume River. I don’t think you can actually go in the pagoda at any time but it was very neat to see.

The site also houses the car that was driven by the monk, Thích Quang Duc, who burned himself to death during a protest in Saigon in 1963.

The last stop of the day was the very impressive Tomb of Khai Dinh, who was the 12th emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. The building was completed in 1931. The outside is a black concrete and the inside is tile and gold.

We really liked it- pretty buildings and a really awesome view. This flamboyant emperor really knew how to make a great Tomb!

We don’t always opt for tour guides but I really enjoyed having a driver and a tour guide for this trip to Hue. It was a long day so it was nice to be educated and entertained and not worry about getting from place to place. We booked our driver and guide through our hotel.

We also enjoyed the lack of crowds in all three locations. We started our day at 8am and arrived at the Imperial City at 11am. Also, May is the off season so less people.

Hue is worth a visit of at least a day! See it for yourself!

Next up…Ho Chi Minh City