How to Spend 1 Day in Hue, Vietnam

Back in 2016, my friend Emilie and I spent three weeks travelling through Vietnam. After starting in Saigon, doing a tour of the Mekong Delta and falling in love with Hoi An, we had a quick day in Hue to experience the Imperial Citadel.

Hue (pronounced like hu-way) is a historic city in central Vietnam. It was the national capital for almost 150 years (from 1802 to 1945) and seat of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Today, Hue is known for its rich culture, food scene and the famous Complex of Huế Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While Hue has lots to explore, many travellers skip it for the more well known cities of Hoi An, Hanoi or Saigon.

But I think Hue is worth adding to your Vietnam itinerary. Even if you only have one day to explore, you can still enjoy a lot of what Hue has to offer!

Below I’ll share what to do if you only have one day in Hue, how to get there, where to stay and the foods you must try!

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How to get to Hue from Hoi An

Most people travel to Hue from Hoi An, which is just 120 km (75 mi) away. From Hoi An, you can get to Hue by train, bus or private transfer.

We chose to take the bus, which is the most affordable option. The bus ride from Hoi An to Hue is a little over three hours and bus fare only cost us $3 CAD ($2 USD) in 2016 – it’s about $9 CAD ($7 USD) in 2024 if you buy your bus tickets online.

From Hoi An, Emilie and I boarded the coolest bus in the world to Hue. This bus looked like a typical long distance bus from the outside but inside, instead of rows of seats there were two tiers of pods.

Each pod had a reclining chair and leg room so you could crawl in, tilt you chair all the way back and sleep almost horizontally. They even gave you a blanket and the bus had WiFi.

The only downside was that the aisles were a little narrow and getting out of the pods was a lot harder than getting in!

If you don’t want to take the bus all the way, you can take a train from Da Nang to Hue (2.5 hours, from apx $9 CAD/$7 USD) but you still have to get from Hoi An to Da Nang (apx 30-60 mins by private transfer, longer by bus).

Or you can take a private transfer all the way from Hoi An to Hue so you don’t have to deal with public transport at all. A lot of the private transfers also include sightseeing along the way, such as stops at beaches and caves.

Book your private transfer from Hoi An to Hue here or book your bus/train from Hoi An to Hue here.

Of course, you could also reverse this and travel from Hue to Hoi An, if you’re heading south. Or if you’re really short on time, you could do a Hue day trip from Da Nang or Hoi An.

What to see in Hue with only 1 day

If you’re short on time, you’ll want your one day in Hue itinerary to be all about the Imperial City. That’s exactly what we did on our trip.

Once we got to Hue and checked into our pretty swanky Vietnam hotel, we set out for the Imperial Citadel, aka The Complex of Huế Monuments. It’s also often referred to as Hue Imperial City, though this is just one of the areas inside the complex.

The Imperial Citadel was actually the main reason we wanted to come to Hue. We were deciding between a stop in Hue or a national park nearby. Hue won out because it was a lot easier to get to and we only had about 24 hours.

From our hotel, we were able to walk over to the Imperial Citadel. Unfortunately, we showed up at the exit, instead of the entrance. So make sure you’re directing yourself to the right place!

Luckily, we were able to buy some delicious mango from a street vendor, which we ate on our walk over to the proper entrance. We finally entered the Imperial City and right away, it totally blew me away.

We showed up later in the afternoon and practically had the whole place to ourselves. Granted, this was in 2016, so I’m sure things are a lot busier now!

There were so many beautiful buildings and cool crumbling walls to look at. I really loved walking around and exploring the grounds.

At one point, Emilie and I just sat on the side of a wall and took it all in. It may have been the quietest and most empty spot in all of Vietnam!

We chose to simply walk around the Historic Citadel site and take it all in. But if you’d like to learn the importance of what you’re seeing, check out this guided walking tour of Hue Imperial City.

What else to do in Hue

Honestly, if you only have one day in Hue Vietnam, I would focus it on the Hue Historic Citadel. The entire complex is huge and consists of the Imperial City, the Citadel and the Purple Forbidden City.

But if you do want to add a few more things to your Hue itinerary, here are some ideas:

• Explore the tombs, pagodas and monuments outside of the Imperial City such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Tu Duc Tomb, Emperor Minh Mạng Tomb and Khai Dinh Tomb
• Ride a traditional boat down the Perfume River
• Enjoy the sand and surf at Thuan An Beach
• Shop for produce, crafts and more at Dong Ba Market

Or join a full day city tour to be taken to the best spots in Hue!

What to eat in Hue

Besides the Imperial City, Hue is definitely known as one of the foodie capitals of Vietnam. Broadly, it’s known for its vegetarian cuisine, smaller royal dishes, and adding lots of spice!

There are also a few famous dishes that should be eaten in Hue:

• Bún bò Huế: Vietnamese rice noodles with beef and pork. This is my go-to order when I’m getting Vietnamese takeout!
• Bánh bèo: Rice cake appetizer made with rice flour and tapioca flour
• Bánh khoái: Deep fried shrimp and vegetable pancake
• Cơm hến: Clams or mussels with rice

Check out more delicious Hue foods to try here!

Sadly, when Emilie and I went out for dinner in Hue, it was a bit of a disappointment. Emilie had found us this one vegetarian restaurant but unfortunately it was closed. So we headed just next door which turned out to be a mistake – definitely not our best meal.

Where to stay in Hue

We stayed at Hong Thien Ruby Hotel for our one day in Hue and I’m happy to report many years after our trip, this hotel is still going strong with tons of rave reviews!

When we first arrived at the hotel, we were early for check in so the staff gave us a platter of fresh fruit and juice to enjoy while we waited. Then, when our room was ready, they had upgraded us to an even better room!

This was definitely the best hotel we stayed at in Vietnam – the room was huge with two double beds, there were lots of outlets, and the AC was strong!

The hotel was also within walking distance of the Imperial City, which was very convenient for us. If you only have one day in Hue, I definitely suggest staying as close to the Hue Citadel as possible.

The only downsides were the hot water didn’t last too long in the shower (though hopefully that’s fixed by now!) and the breakfast area was a little crowded. But all in all, I would recommend Hong Thien Ruby Hotel!

Final thoughts: Is Hue Vietnam worth visiting? Is one day in Hue enough?

Absolutely, Hue is worth visiting and adding to your Vietnam itinerary! While it was just a short stop, I loved wandering around the Imperial Citadel and am glad we made the detour.

Is one day in Hue enough? Yes and no. It’s enough time to get a taste of the city. You can explore the Citadel for a few hours, walk through a market and east some delicious food.

So how many days should you spend in Hue? I do think there’s enough to do in Hue to fill 2-3 days, especially if you add on some sightseeing outside of the city or day trips from Hue.

But if you don’t have the time, because I know not everyone can spend endless days in Vietnam, I also think it’s okay to just do a quick trip to Hue. If you love it, you can always come back next time!

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