Hue is in the most beautiful season of the year when it is not cold, not hot, and the rainy season is over, suitable for visiting inner and suburban destinations.
The 48-hour itinerary in Hue was carried out during the Lunar New Year, through the experience of Ms. Ha Tran (Hanoi) and a group of friends, Duc Hoang’s consultant, a tour guide and members of a travel forum. in Hue.
According to Ms. Ha, Hue is really the right place for a trip at the beginning of the year because this is the land of kings – the land of the Dragon and suitable for food lovers.
Day 1
Morning
Have breakfast at Hue beef noodle shop My Tam on Tran Cao Van street.
“The restaurant is open during Tet so it is very convenient for tourists. Service is attentive and fast,” said Ms. Ha. The tour guide said that this is also a noodle shop that many artists often visit every time they come to Hue. A full bowl costs 60,000 VND. On weekdays other than Tet holidays, visitors can visit some other famous beef noodle shops in Hue such as: Ba Tuyet, Hem, O Phuong, Me Roi.
The next trip in the morning is to visit the Citadel and the Museum of Royal Antiquities. Here, visitors can watch reenactments of the changing of the guard in ancient times, wear ancient costumes, take photos in historical settings, and listen to explanations about the architectural overview of palaces in the Citadel.
In particular, Kien Trung Palace is a place you should visit because it just opened after more than 4 years of restoration. This was once the working and living place of King Khai Dinh and Bao Dai. The project is a fusion of Asian and European styles, including French architecture, Italian renaissance architecture, and Vietnamese feudal royal architecture. The highlight is the art of inlaying decorative patterns on porcelain. The door system is brightly painted with red and yellow tones, typical of the royal court.
“Going through the buildings are places for the king to rest, play, and enjoy, every place is beautiful and impressive,” Ms. Ha said.
A beautiful attraction that should also be visited is An Hien garden house, built in the late 19th century, which was the residence of the 18th Princess of King Duc Duc. Recently, a private unit has taken over and exploited tourism. The old features here are fully preserved.
Lunch at An Nhien vegetarian restaurant.
An Nhien restaurant space. Photo: Ha Tran
According to Ms. Ha, An Nhien is like a garden decorated in French style but with a bit of a Buddhist feel. “Vegetarian dishes are presented in a European style, delicious and the space is beautiful, so you just want to sit forever,” said Ms. Ha. Dishes include fried rice with lotus seeds, corn, mushrooms, grapefruit salad, mixed vegetarian rolls.
Afternoon
Visit the tomb complex of King Gia Long. This place is like a large park, accessible by bicycle or electric car. The path to the king’s tomb stretches many steps. When walking, everyone must pay attention to their steps. This is also the intention of the tomb builder, wanting those who come to visit to bow their heads when arriving. “The two tombs are the same, but if you pay close attention, you will see that the king’s side roof edge is a bit better,” Mr. Hoang said.
Near King Gia Long’s mausoleum, visitors will visit a famous check-in spot for young people, Thuy Tien Lake water park. The project has been abandoned since its completion. Because there was a lot of information that this place was about to be demolished, more and more people came. This is where the famous dragon symbol is located. Visitors can go inside the dragon’s body to climb up to admire the scenery.
Thuy Tien Lake water park. Photo: Ha Tran
King Gia Long’s tomb area. Photo: Ha Tran
Steps up to King Gia Long’s tomb. Photo: Ha Tran
Tomb of the king and queen. Photo: Ha Tran
Differences on graves. Photo: Ha Tran
Evening
If you come to Hue for the first time, you should go listen to royal court music on a dragon boat along the Perfume River. Ticket price is 100,000 VND per person for 30 minutes. Visitors will also be able to release flower lanterns to make wishes.
At the end of the day, visit the Western Quarter, located in the area of routes such as Chu Van An – Nguyen Thai Hoc – Vo Thi Sau. “Hue West Street reminds people of Ta Hien in Hanoi, or Bui Vien in Ho Chi Minh City, also busy but not too noisy,” Ms. Ha said.
In the evening, tourists should stay at hotels along the Huong River, not crowded, beautiful and quiet. Room prices along the Huong River range from 700,000 VND to about 4 million VND, depending on the type of hotel, resort and star.
Day 2
Morning and noon
Have breakfast and enjoy salted coffee, a famous drink in Hue for more than 10 years, now spreading throughout Vietnam. Address 142 Dang Thai Than, close to the Citadel, is considered the “birthplace” of this drink. Currently, most coffee shops in Hue serve salted coffee.
Lunch in Phuoc Tich ancient village. Photo: Ha Tran
A house in Phuoc Tich ancient village. Photo: Ha Tran
Cycling in the ancient village. Photo: Ha Tran
“Rent a bicycle to ride around here, meet local people and hear them tell about the story of the village,” Ms. Ha suggested.
Ms. Thu, the owner of a beautiful, spacious and airy house in the village, was the one who prepared a home-cooked lunch for the group of guests from Hanoi. The meal includes braised fish, bamboo shoot soup cooked with sour fish, boiled meat, delicious, fresh and clean boiled water spinach. In particular, the key dish of the meal is fig salad with rice paper. There is also the homeowner’s homemade carbonated hibicus syrup.
Afternoon
Visit Huyen Khong Pagoda (Huyen Khong Son Thuong), located about 12 km from Hue city center, on the way from Phuoc Tich ancient village back to the city. Huyen Khong Pagoda is not as famous as Thien Mu, but it is also a frequent destination for tourists who do not like hustle and bustle. The temple is located deep in the valley, between pine forests and hillsides, so it is always quiet.
Dinner at Chan restaurant on Nguyen Thai Hoc street.
“The restaurant is convenient to get around because it is located right in the center, beautifully decorated, and has a full range of traditional foods,” Ms. Ha said. Dishes such as sour shrimp and boiled meat, grilled fish and fruit, mussel rice, and mussel porridge are chosen by many people. This is the place that most tourists visit when coming to Hue.
Alternative choice
Local handicraft villages such as Thanh Tien paper flower making facility, folk painting workshop on do paper in Sinh village, and Thuy Xuan incense village are other destinations suggested by Ms. Ha. “The beauty of the landscape and people of Hue are not as sad and sad as people think. The people are enthusiastic, considerate, gentle and joyful,” said Ms. Ha.
($1~24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet