Hue, Vietnam
Imperial Citadel – Hue, Vietnam
Our impressions of Hue
Incredible imperial sites and architecture: Hue was one of our favorite spots in Vietnam due to its impressive array of imperial architecture. The Imperial Citadel was an amazing place to spend an afternoon wandering around as was the Thien Mu pagoda. We didn’t see anything like this elsewhere in Vietnam
Young, lively, and fun: We expected things to be quiet during Tet, but we were dead wrong! Hue was the most happening place we went in Vietnam (outside of the big cities). Lots of young people gathered together at night, drinking, eating, and enjoying each other’s company which was the opposite of what we saw in Hanoi (lots of old people). It almost felt like a college town which made for an unexpectedly awesome atmosphere, especially during our rainy days
Rainy (totally subjective): We have been so lucky with amazing weather on our trip until Hue where it rained for most of our time. Hue ended being the perfect rainy day spot – it was full of super hip cafes where we spent a lot of our time. We became experts in local Hue specialties like Ca Phe Muoi (salt coffee) and Huda beer while hopping around to different spots in the city and avoiding the torrential downpours
What we saw in Hue
Imperial Citadel: After our long day of travel from Hoi An, we decided to spend the late afternoon exploring the Imperial City. We debated waiting until the next day, but we’re so happy we didn’t because it rained all day! The Imperial City was the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty from the 19th to the 20th century. The citadel, like the rest of Hue, was targeted during the Vietnam/American war in the late 1960s – you can see the damage caused by bullets when walking around the remaining buildings. Unfortunately, most of the buildings in the citadel were destroyed, but the ones that remain are amazing. When we first arrived at the citadel, it was packed! Vietnamese families were out and about in traditional clothing, enjoying spending time together during Tet. After walking to the back part of the citadel, we quickly found ourselves alone amongst beautiful buildings and temples. We stuck around the citadel until the sun started to set and felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Exploring the Imperial Citadel was one of our favorite activities in Vietnam and definitely the historical highlight of our time there
Perfume River Walk: Hue is situated on the Perfume River (note: it does not actually smell like perfume as Jessie hoped), making it a lovely city to walk around. There’s an easily accessible walkway that runs along the river which we took advantage of many times. The best time to walk along the river was at night, where the walkway and a nearby bridge lit up in a fun array of colors (almost like the moving walkway at O’Hare). One night, we walked the full length of the boardwalk alongside Vietnamese families celebrating Tet. The atmosphere was electric and so jovial!
Thien Mu Pagoda: We had grand plans to spend a day pagoda and mausoleum hopping in Hue (there’s a ton to see), but the weather had other plans – a nonstop torrential downpour. When the rain briefly cleared up one afternoon, we set our sights on the Thien Mu Pagoda – one of the most well-known pagodas in Hue. We were excited that the rain had stopped, so decided to walk four miles to the pagoda. For the most part, it was a beautiful and very quiet walk (we were the only people we saw walking) along the Perfume River, but there were a few dicey points that required skillful maneuvers (i.e., trying our best not to get run over by motorbikes) so we were happy when we finally arrived. Built in 1601, the pagoda is serene and expansive. We initially thought that the tower was the pagoda (it’s one of the main symbols of Hue), so were surprised to find so much more to the site. One of the more memorable parts of the temple was a blue car that sits near the main temple. We thought it was crazily out of place until we went up to it and read the inscription – it was the car in which a Buddhist monk burned himself to protest the Diem a regime in the 1960s. After visiting the pagoda, we were even more appreciative to have gotten a break from the rain – it would have been a bummer to miss it
Temple of Literature: Feeling energized and ambitious after the pagoda, we continued our walk a mile down the road to see the Temple of Literature. We walked through a small village full of people singing karaoke in their homes (a Tet tradition). It always seems like the worst karaoke singers are the loudest, but at least they were having fun 🙂 When we arrived, the temple was closed (it looks like it had been closed for awhile), but we got a neat peek at it through the gates. It was definitely worth the walk through the village, too
Dong Ba market: Dong Ba is a local market in Hue with stalls that contain everything from Timex watches to inane amounts of shrimp paste. It was a little grittier and dirtier than any of the other markets we’ve visited in Asia (saw a massive rat). We loved the street food in Vietnam, so were excited to try some dishes at the local market. While many of the stalls were closed for Tet, a friendly and pushy older lady ushered us to eat at her place. Though she didn’t speak much English, she clearly understood “no meat” for Jessie which was a relief! As we were Google translating the small menu and deciding what we wanted, she brought us two plates of Banh Xep Chay (rice dumplings) and a plate of pork skewers for Doug. And then, the food kept on coming with no ordering! We called it a street food tasting menu with six dishes for each of us, including many of the local specialties we were keen to try like Banh Beo, Banh Bot Loc, and Bun Bo Hue. At the end of the meal, we felt a little bit betrayed (read: like suckers for not just ordering a dish each) as the lady seriously overcharged us. We felt better after thinking about what the meal would have cost at home and yet a little better after washing the shame down with an IPA
Where we ate and drank
Lac Thien: On our walk back from the Imperial Citadel, we passed this spot that was packed with locals. We looked at each other, gave an affirming nod, and promptly walked back to find a table. Though there weren’t any visibly available tables, a kind patron went out of his way to make us a table in the back of the restaurant and explain the ordering process (look at the menu, point to what you want). We eventually got someone’s attention and did just that – two Hudas (main beer in Central Vietnam), a Bun Bo Hue for Doug, and a Bun Chay for Jessie. The food and the atmosphere were both awesome – nothing better than a piping hot bowl of Vietnamese noodles for less than $2! When we asked for the check, the waiter wrote the prices for each dish down in marker on the actual table – a fun way to end the dining experience
Urban: Due to Tet, Hue was overflowing with Vietnamese youngsters the first night we were there – we deemed it the Vietnamese version of black Wednesday (the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when young Americans go out with friends). Every bar and restaurant was packed with tables overflowing onto the street. It was awesome just to walk around, but we were determined to get in on the action. We decided to stop at Urban – a two-story bar/restaurant across the way from our hotel. It was a challenge to find a table, but after muddling our way through groups of friends and cases of beer on the ground, we found a spot on the second floor. Ordering was the next challenge – the menu was of course in Vietnamese (Google translate to the rescue) and we didn’t know how to flag down a server. Luckily, someone spotted us (probably not too tough to spot as we were the only foreigners) and approached us. We ordered two more Hudas with a small dish of snails. It was an awesome place to have a beer. We retired early, but could still hear the music from Urban bumping into the wee hours of the night as we tried to fall and stay asleep
Binancials: On our first rainy day in Hue, we decided to do some writing and trip research for Cambodia, Laos, and future destinations. Binancials was a hip, local coffee shop that turned out to be the best place to be productive. We spent hours in this coffee shop – trying our first and second ca phe muoi (salt coffee). We were initially reluctant to try salt coffee (the name sounded gross to us), but it was a Hue local specialty so we bucked up. Much to our delight, salt coffee was even more delicious than egg coffee! It was like a milkshake – condensed milk at the bottom, layer of espresso just on top, salty and sweet foam on top of the espresso, and ice dropped in. We probably would have stayed at Binancials for another few salt coffees had it not been for the man that decided to light up a cigarette inside – yuck
DMZ: After Binancials, we transitioned from coffee to beer (what else is there to do on a rainy day?). We needed somewhere with solid WiFi to continue on our productivity streak and didn’t want to walk too far in the pouring rain, so DMZ was the perfect spot. Though the decor and theme struck us as odd, this bar was a great place to take refuge from the rain, down a few Hudas, and even have a snack. We spent a few hours drinking and planning until it came time for dinner (and we were a bit too tipsy to continue planning)
Maison Truong: When we were ready for dinner, we walked to Maison Truong which was a cute homestay and dinner spot tucked away in a network of alleys. We were seated upstairs right outside of the family’s living room where their kids were watching TV (a fun backdrop for a meal). We ordered Banh Xeo Chay to split (a rice pancake dish we cooked in Hoi An), pork noodles and veg noodle soup respectively, and two Hudas to continue our rainy day drinking. The food and drinks were solid, but the company turned out to be even better. Seated next to us was a lovely French couple – Flo and Clem – that we chatted with. It turns out they were traveling for 8 months and were at 4-month mark just like us. Over another beer, we chatted for several hours about our learnings from traveling, our philosophies on life, and many other topics under the sun. We’ve continued to keep in touch and follow along on each other’s journeys through Instagram/WhatsApp which has been great
Ca Phe Muoi: We woke up to another rainy day in Hue, so replaced our plans of pagoda hopping with local cafe hopping. Stop number one was Ca Phe Muoi – the namesake of salt coffee. After loving it at Binancials, we were pumped to try the original. We sat down amongst locals and ordered two salt coffees – our favorite in Hue! We started dealing to play a few rounds of cards over coffee, but the proprietor shook her head and motioned that we weren’t allowed to play. We later learned that gambling is super popular during Tet but illegal, so we figured she must have assumed we were gambling
Anh Cafe: Ca Phe Muoi was not conducive to long term productivity (for one it closed at 11am and we got there at 10:30am), so we settled on Anh Cafe next. It was another hip, local spot with a comfy set up and thankfully no smokers! We tried yet another salt coffee, though this one was too sweet and too expensive for our taste (almost $2 while the original was less than $1). Even though the coffee wasn’t our favorite, Anh Cafe was a great spot to chill for a few hours and ask the rain go away
La Habana: To lick our wounds from marketgate, we walked back towards our neighborhood and got a beer at a neat craft beer place, La Habana. We wanted to try two IPAs, but they were out of them. Luckily, the owner happened to be sitting at the table next to us and came over to suggest an off menu “Spicy IPA”. We were skeptical, but decided to try it. It was like Christmas in a glass – utterly delicious, a bit spicy and clove-y, and something we could easily see Half Acre carrying over the holidays. Moods lifted!
Where we stayed
Orchid Hotel: We spent three nights at this great value spot in Hue. Our room was clean, sizable, and air-conditioned. We also had a nice tub/hand-held shower in the bathroom that was a fun nightly challenge. The hotel had a delicious breakfast that we took advantage of – making DIY banh mi with their baguettes and egg omelettes. The only downside was that it was incredibly loud at night from the bars across the street, but we got used to it after the first night
