From Hoi An, I headed North to check out Hue, a city that was once the nation’s capital. Known as one of the top spots for sampling some of the best food that Vietnam has to offer, there was no way I was skipping out on Hue. With only a day and a night designated to this city, I had a lot to see and eat in a very short amount of time. Challenge accepted.
What to Do
Spend a few hours exploring the Imperial City:
Tuk Tuk drivers will try to tell you that it’s not possible to walk the Imperial city, but that is not true! If you go for a tour with them, you won’t even see the inside of the city! They just show you some attractions on the outskirts of the city.
My advice would be to forego the tour and walk around by yourself. The ticket costs 150,000 vdn which is expensive for Vietnam (still only $5) but is very worth it.
As soon as you cross the bridge through the main gate you feel like you’re back in ancient times. The city was really only built a few hundred years ago, but it seems so much older!
They are still in the restoration process, as much of the city was destroyed by the war, but if you use your imagination, you can picture how grand it must have been in its prime.
There are an amazing amount of archways that lead you into one secret garden after the next. This is very much a tourist destination, but most of the time, I was in a field or garden completely alone. It is such a cool place to explore!
Grab lunch at Dong Ba Market:
After perusing the multiple stalls of fresh veggies, fruits, meats, grains and more on the streets surrounding the market, head inside to the food stalls to try a Hue specialty, Bun Bo Hue – a rice noodle dish with beef and veggies.
I was serve by two older ladies wearing matching PJ-like outfits, which seems to be quite the trend in Vietnam. Next fill your belly some more by trying the iced yogurt in a plastic bag (looks like milk) and some local fruits.
Check out Chi Lang Street to see how the locals live:
When leaving the Imperial City, I befriended Victoire, a lovely French solo traveler who was keen to explore more of Hue. I joined in on her expedition and we just started to walk. Her and I were the only Westerners around, and had a great time checking out the local scene. On our path of wandering, we stumbled upon a pagoda tucked back off of the main street where young Vietnamese children practiced karate; we felt like we were in a scene from “The Next Karate Kid”. We then made our way down Chi Lang Street on the hunt for Bun Hen, a dish recommended by my Vietnam travel guru, Matt. Which brings me to the next must do item in Hue…
Eat Bun Hen!
Bun Hen is a vermicelli noodle dish with chopped baby clams and veggies. As we sat to eat, (of course in child-sized plastic picnic furniture – sure sign of an authentic Vietnamese dining experience) a woman sat down next to us with the biggest smile. She was clearly amused at two Westerners eating a local dish in a part of town not many foreigners visit. She barely spoke English, but that wasn’t a problem when giving us a demonstration on how to eat Bun Hen properly. She then asked us our age and then told us she was 50 and had three sons. You could tell she was so proud to be a mom!
When the three of us finished our meal, Victoire was curious about what was wrapped in banana leaves sitting on our table in a basket. We had no idea how to eat it, so our new Vietnamese mother stepped in to help us eat another new food to us. She peeled back the leaves to expose a pork dumpling, peeled two pieces of garlic and gave us each one. She motioned for us to shove the garlic clove in the dumplings, and we obliged. Between the main dish and the dumpling, it was my favorite meal in Vietnam yet. (We paid $1.75 for 2 Bun Hen and a shared dumpling…) We said goodbye to our Vietnamese mother, but not first without taking a selfie together. (My apologies for the poor quality!)
On our way back to the hostel we tried che sua, which was some sort of tapioca, coconut cream pudding like dessert, and it was weirdly delicious. We then took advantage of the free beer offer at Victoire’s hotel, “Google Hostel” and then called it a night to prep for the next day’s activities in yet another city.
Getting There
My hotel in Hoi An arranged a bus to pick me up at 8:15am to get to Hue for 11am, and it only cost $5. The bus picked us up on time, and dropped us off basically right next to the hostel I had booked, so it really couldn’t have been easier!
Where to Stay
I stayed at the Sunny A Hotel and was very impressed by the cozy room, clean bathroom, great breakfast, and incredibly helpful staff. I had accidentally booked the wrong night on Agoda.com, but they had no problem checking me in anyways and even let me check-in early. The location is great, with only a 20 minute walk across the bridge to get to the main market as well as the Imperial City.
