Being unique and true to the Hue region, cơm meaning rice and hến meaning boiled mussel, this is a must-try dish. Com Hen consists of rice, boiled mussel, slices of star fruit, fish sauce, cabbage, onion, pepper, peanut, chili, and a variety of herbs with chili sauce. What makes it special is that all of these elements are cold. Cơm Hến has an extremely spicy flavor as such, so gastronomes will remember it after just one tasting. This dish is easily found by walking or driving around Hue, especially along the three-block Truong Dinh Street, and at the corner of Nguyen Thai Hoc Street and Ba Trieu Street, where a vendor sets up shop outdoor under a series of tarps strung with lights.

When we talk about Hue food, it would be a crime to exclude to Bún Bò Huế. This famous Vietnamese dish consists of rice vermicelli and sliced cooked beef and is greatly admired for its unique balance of spices and flavors. The soup is prepared by boiling the beef bones with shank, lemongrass, fermented shrimp sauce and chili oil. It is served with thin slices of marinated and boiled beef shank, chunks of oxtail, pig knuckles and pork rolls. Like many of the dishes in this list, Bun Bo Hue is ubiquitous around city, where many homes double as shops and restaurants: business in the front, family in the back.

Bánh bèo is a kind of small steamed rice pancake. The name refers to the shape of the cake (like a water fern – bèo in Vietnamese). Bánh bèo is made up of small steamed rice pancakes topped with dried shrimp, pork cracklings, shallots and herbs and served with special fish sauce (nước mắm pha).

Instead of using skewers, this kebab-like dish combines lemongrass sticks and marinated pork, giving it a one-of-a-kind flavor. When eaten with the special sauce made up of finely chopped shallots, garlic and topped with peanuts, this combination infuses the pork with an unforgettable lemongrass flavor.

If the Northern Vietnam has four seasons, Hue has only two seasons: heavy rainy season and light rainy season. The heavy rainy season lasts from September to the end of December, the light one extends from the end of December to the end of April. In the remainder months, it is sunny due to Hue's location in the area of abundant heat radiation and high temperature. The most ideal time to visit Hue is usually in November.

Airplane: Phu Bai Airport has just opened to serve Hue tourism's scense. You can easily pick up any daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Hue with domestic airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, VietjetAir or Jetstar.
Train: For those who have plenty of time and want to experience the beautiful scenery along the way, train is the best transportation to get to Hue.
Bus: Buses to Hue are usually sleeper buses on the North-South route from both ends. Ticket prices and quality are not much different across service providers, you can refer to the ticket prices of the Hoang Long, Phuong Trang or TheSinhTourist.

Travelling to Hue, you will have a chance to explore the ancient beauty of the high-value historical relics in the complex of the Ancient Capital, the Imperial Citadel, Minh Mang Tomb, Gia Long Tomb, Thien Mu Pagoda, Literature Temple as well as other historical sites.
The Imperial City of Hue: Being famous as one of Vietnam’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Imperial City of Hue has long been a must-see attraction for tourists discovering a hidden charm of Vietnam. The Imperial City of Hue was a walled fortress and palace belonging to the ancient city of Hue, which was a capital city of the Nguyen Dynasty for 140 years, dating back from 1805 until 1945. After more than 100 years, the architectural grand in the Citadel may not remain exactly alike to its original condition, but still carries the majesty of the once mighty empire. The Imperial City is quite large, you should spend about 2 hours or a half day to discover all.
Listen to”ca tru” on the Perfume River: Perfume River is a worthwhile place for its romantic and charming beauty, which is one of the most outstanding in Hue City. In the evening, when the weather is cool, you can visit the Perfume River by boat to see the ancient city during the night and listen to tunes that will bring you back hundreds of years.
Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts: Located inside Long An Palace, this is the earliest established museum in Hue under the name ‘Musee’ Khai Dinh’. Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts is the wonderful architectural structure, built based on royal architecture of the Hue. The palace includes 128 pillars. Artifacts in the museum have been collected and preserved since 1913. Now, there are over 10,000 artifacts on display. Materials used in these artifacts are gold, silver, stone, wood, leather, paper, as well as other materials.

Royal Tombs: There are seven tombs of famous Nguyen Kings which are 150 years old and are all intact with unique architecture in Hue. Builders constructed most of these tombs when the emperor was still reigning. Due to this reason, the tombs are not gloomy, but rather having a romantic appearance with delicate and natural patterns and textures. The tombs are definitely a great place to visit in Hue and amongst the seven tombs, three are significantly more popular compared to the rest, due to their relative good condition and better accessibility – these are the tombs of Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh.
Hon Chen Temple: Hon Chen Temple is located just on the bank of the Perfume River, built for Po Nagar, the Goddess of the ancient Cham population in Ngoc Ho Village. Set atop a small rocky cliff in Ngoc Ho Village, it houses several relics such as ancient vases, Chinese scriptures, religious figures, and animal carvings. Hon Chen Temple Festival is held in the middle of the third and seventh lunar month every year, when visitors can observe traditional rituals, folk dance and music performances by local devotees in colorful costumes.
Thien Mu Pagoda: The oldest pagoda in Hue is Thien Mu Pagoda whose establishment is associated with the early actions of the first Nguyen Lord in Dang Trong (South Vietnam). With the large scale and natural beauty, Thien Mu pagoda overlooks the northern bank of the Perfume River and became one of the most beautiful pagodas in Vietnam.
Ngu Binh Mountain: Together with the Perfume River, Ngu Binh Mountain is the second priceless gift endowed by nature to Hue, which alongside the Perfume river, makes up the symbol of Hue. From Ngu Binh Mountain, visitors could view the entire city alongside ancient pagodas, the sparkling palace, and the Perfume River. From the east, the white sand-bank of the Thuan An Beach along with the blue water of the East Sea creates the wonderful picture that has touched the soul of many poets and artists.

OUR PICK: Visits to Hue Complex of Monuments including of Kings’ tombs, old palace, and Hue Antique Museum
Cultural tours in Hue: Tours are inclusive of most astonishing museums, temples and lakes of Vietnam.
Biking tours in Hue: Biking inside city and nearby villaes, joining a boat trip on “the Perfumed river”, and getting the best “Ao Dai’’ (Vietnamese-styled ladies’ long dress) made in Hue.
Shopping tours in Hue: Tours are inclusive of various local markets in Hue.
Theme tous MICE, incentive tours, educational tours, charity tours and meditation tours.