Hue Day Tour - Tu Duc Tomb and the Citadel

The taxi tour is priced at 7 USD/pax and included 2 stops: Tu Duc Tomb, and the Citadel.

Goofing inside the Citadel 

Tu Duc Tomb

Shoe-ing scenes behind Tu Duc's Tomb

Tu Duc Tomb Theater Hall

Tu Duc Tomb was built for Emperor Tu Duc, the emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty to have reigned the longest. The tomb took three years before it was completed in 1867.

Tu Duc Tomb's Lake

It is divided into a temple area and a tomb area. Having many wives and concubines, Emperor Tu Duc was unable to father a son, and so he adopted a son, Kien Phuc, who took over him after his death in 1883.

Xung Khiem Pavilion

Inside the Hoa Khiem Temple

Since he was unable to father a son, he wrote his own epitaph which was then inscribed on the stele in the pavilion located East of his tomb. This is the largest stele of its type in Vietnam and had to be brought from a quarry over 500 km away --- taking it around 4 years before it was delivered at its present location. Tu Duc, however, was not buried here, and the exact location of his tomb is still kept a secret up to this day.

Stairs to the Stele House

Salutation Court

Entrance fee is priced at 80,000 VND. Recommended length of stay: 1-2 hours.

The Citadel

The Citadel's Map

Entrance to the Throne Palace

The pride of the former imperial Vietnamese capital, the Imperial City is a walled fortress which houses the Purple Forbidden City, the Emperor's home.

Ngan Gate - Citadel

In front of one of the Citadel's libraries

The construction of this fortress is very interesting such as the person who ordered its construction, Gia Long, consulted with geomancers, who decide which locations are suitable sites for building palaces. The city was built facing the Huong River to the east.

One of the Citadel's Gardens

A Lake inside the Citadel

Out of the original 160 buildings, only 10 major sites remain because of the battles that took place in Hue. The city became a UNESCO site in 1993.

What's left of the Purple Forbidden City

Entrance fee is priced at 105,000 VND for foreigners, and slightly cheaper for Vietnamese tourists. Recommended length of stay: 2-3 hours.

Hien Nhon Gate

From the Citadel, we had our taxi drop us off at the Dong Ba Market where we bought different dried sweets priced at around 30,000 to 50,000 VND/half kg, depending on the fruit/vegetable. It is pretty difficult to haggle with the vendors though, so be prepared to buy overpriced goods.

Lac Thien dinner

We then proceeded to a restaurant that is popular for both locals and foreigners, Lac Thien or Lac Thanh, located on Dinh Tien Hoang Street near Thuong Tu Gate. This place is famous for banh khoai (Hue Pancake).

We had a scrumptious dinner here for only 50,000 VND/pax. Be on the lookout because this restaurant is pretty easy to miss.

Truong Tien Bridge

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and hired a cab to take us to the train station for our night trip to Da Nang.

At Hue Railway Station

Havey for Hue - Perfume River Cruise

East end of the Perfume River

Our next city stop for the Vietnam trip is Hue. A city in central Vietnam, Huế was the seat of Nguyen Dynasty emperors and served as the nation's capital from 1802-1945. It is home to the 19th century Citadel, which encompasses the Imperial City. Inside this vast compound is the Forbidden Purple City, which used to be the emperor’s home.

Hue's weather in January is considered as a short cool dry season with day temperatures ranging from 22-24 degrees Celsius, which can drop below 18 degrees Celsius in the evenings. So clothing should be cool and breezy for the day, and warm and comfy for the night.

Banana Mango lunch

Having flown from Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived at Hue around before lunch time. We took a rickshaw ride, just so we'd be able to experience it, for 25,000 VND/pax, and we were dropped off at Holiday Diamond Hotel. After having settled at our comfy room, we decided to have our lunch in Banana Mango, just a street away from the hotel. The lunch was priced at 330,000 VND. This was where we first sampled the famous Vietnamese coffee, and I have to say, I haven't tasted anything that bitterly satisfying.

Walking along Perfume River

Toa Khan Boat Station

Hue Perfume River Cruise

With a map as our guide, we walked towards the Toa Khan Boat Station to hire a private boat for the Perfume River Cruise. We paid 150,000 VND/pax. The trip includes cruising along the Perfume River starting from the boat station up to the Thien Mu Pagoda, and then back again.

Entrance to Thien Mu Pagoda

The cruise was relatively slow and you would be able to sight see landmarks of Hue on both sides of the river. The first stop was Thien Mu Pagoda.

Thien Mu Pagoda

Thien Mu Pagoda

Thien Mu Pagoda is considered as the tallest Pagoda in Vietnam. The Pagoda stands 7 stories high, and was considered as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital.

Inside Thien Mu Pagoda Compound

Thien Mu literally means "celestial lady." Named after a local legend in which a lady dressed in red and blue sat at the hill where the Pagoda now stands, and prophesied the coming of a lord that would erect a temple on the site for the country's prosperity. Entrance is free. Recommended length of stay: 30 minuted to 1 hour.

Thie Mu Pagoda temple entrance

Our Perfume River Boat Ride

After taking some shots at the temple, we headed to the other side of the river and walked a few streets to the Hue Railway Station. We bought night tickets for our next day's trip to Da Nang. Walking towards the Railway Station, you'll pass by Hue University.

Hue University

We then headed back to the boat for the cruise back to the boat station. But we had our boatman drop us off at the back of Dong Ba Market instead to save us the hassle of crossing the river by way of the Truong Tien bridge on foot.

Dong Ba Market goods

After canvassing goods around the market, we decided to taste their nem lui (Vina grilled kebabs) just outside the market. We had fun making the kebabs and had our tummies filled for only 27,500 VND.

Afternoon snacks at Dong Ba Market

Nem Lui (Vina Grilled Kebabs)

We then strolled back towards the hotel. We stopped to check the boutiques along the streets nearby and bought some midnight snacks from a bakery before we headed to the hotel to retire for the night.

Art works for sale

At the bakery

Our hotel's street

Forms of Transportation from Cambodia to Vietnam

The historic port of the ancient town of Hoi An

Throughout the 9 day-journey from Cambodia to Vietnam, different forms of transportation were utilized.

Of course, the first form was our airplane ride from Manila to Siem Reap via CebuPacific Air. Then we rode a cab towards our inn in Siem Reap.

Quick Travel Essentials Shot at the airport

The new form of transportation we used was the Cambodian version of the tuktuk. It's like a large tricycle that can accommodate around 6 pax. The tuktuk is the main form of transportation in Siem Reap. Thus, it was what we used when transferring to and from the inn. It can be a really chilly ride during the wee hours in the morning. But as the sun rises, it's usually windy and a bit dusty.

The transfer from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh would have to be the roughest and longest 8 hour-public bus ride of my life. We left Siem Reap at around 1 in the afternoon, and it was really hot inside the bus, as if there were no air-conditioning units at all. I slept for less than half of the journey, and was wide awake during most of it because the bus moved very fast and would stop abruptly when dropping off or boarding passengers. The seat belts were broken, as well as the button for reclining the back rest. It was also very dusty because of the unpaved roads! You would most definitely want to cover your face during the journey. Come nighttime, the air-conditioning units seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere because it was insanely and inhumanely cold for the rest of the ride. We had 2 bus stops along the way. However, in both stopovers, we didn't want to try our luck with the food they were serving. And mind you, the water closets are really dirty, wet and of the old Asian style, which is basically urinating or defecating by squatting on the floor.

When touring in Phnom Penh, tuktuk was still the primary form of transportation. Although, there were also a few taxis available.

Mekong Express Private Van interior

During our transfers to Ho Chi Minh from Phnom Penh, we boarded a Mekong Express private van with a maximum capacity of 11 pax. It was a really comfortable ride. Read more about it here at Crossing the Boarder.

Mai Linh Taxi

At Ho Chi Minh, taxis are the more common form, although people there prefer walking. Two of the taxi companies we tried were Mai Linh (with the iconic green and white body paint) and Vina (with the iconic yellow body paint) taxis, which were also the two most recommended taxi companies in Vietnam. Tourists are usually the ones who avail of the services of the modified rickshaw, in which Vietnam is known for. We tried riding one only once just so we could get to experience it. It's pretty hard to describe, so just refer to the photo below.

Modified Rickshaw - suggested for short distances

Traditional Rickshaw

From Ho Chi Minh, we took a flight to Hue, where taxis are still the common form of transportation, apart from tourist buses. Or you could rent a bicycle for a whole day for 15 USD.

Private Boat cruise along Perfume River

Groufie with the boat

In Hue, we tried the famous river cruise along the Perfume River. We hired a private boat to take us to different tourist destinations which can be accessed from the river for 150,000 VD. It's a must try for tourists who are willing to enjoy the slow cruise along the river than go through the city on board taxis.

Reunification Express Train - soft berth

We booked a nighttime schedule at the Reunification Express Train to Danang. A ticket for the soft berth costs 66,000 VD/pax. We took the 19.55 schedule, but was delayed for about an hour. The train was relatively old. The seats we were in had broken recliners and faulty seat belts. To make matters a little worse, the passengers behind us both had their feet resting on our arm rests, and they smelled. There was a small table in front of our seats, but it was dirty and had trash in it. It was kind of hot, too. Thankfully, I was still able to fall asleep the whole time. I did not dare use the loo. The journey took us roughly 3 hours, and we arrived at Danang before midnight.

Danang Station

At Danang, you can rent a bicycle to go around the city or just ride a cab/taxi. But we chose to walk around the city since we really wanted to take in the new environment and not always be at a rush to go places. We hired a cab we found just along Danang Beach to take us to the ancient town of Hoi An with a short stopover at Marble Mountains. We paid 117,500 VD/pax.

Rickshaw at Hoi An

Hoi An is known as the Walking and Cycling City. So, you just basically stroll around, or rent a bicycle for 25,000 VD/pax for 1 hour. Don't fret with the couple of zeros, because I promise you, it's all worth it!

Cycling around Hoi An

We then had our flight back to Ho Chi Minh City from Danang, and there we stayed for another night, then back to the Philippines.

Crossing the Boarder: Cambodia to Vietnam

After a short trip at the Killing Fields and then to Central Market, we were fetched by our private van for transfers to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City. We availed the private van transfer of Mekong Express, worth 15 USD/pax. Among all of the choices for transfers, we found that the Mekong Express is the best option apart from Giant Ibis. In the forums, I've read how other transportation companies neglect to help their passengers in the immigration process when crossing the boarder between Cambodia and Vietnam. Initially, we wanted to book Giant Ibis. However, they were already fully booked, and so we booked the 3:30 pm schedule of Mekong Express. We opted for the private van transfer rather than the bus, which was 14USD/pax, because we wanted to be really comfortable this time because it's going to be a long journey. We were actually traumatized by our experience with the public bus that we took from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, so it was okay for us to shell out one buck for comfort.

Mekong Express Private Van

The van fetched us from Mad Monkey promptly. And apart from two other foreign guys, we were the only passengers of a van with a maximum capacity of 11 pax. The van was relatively new, clean, cozy, and had built-in internet connection, which was not working during our time. It also has its own flat screen TV. Free bottled water and packets of wipes were also provided. The driver was skilled, fast but was still careful. He didn't talk during the journey apart from when we asked questions upon boarding the van.

Inside the Van

The journey lasted for a whopping 6 hours from Phnom Penh up to Ho Chi Minh's bustling backpackers street, Pham Ngu Lao. We only had one stopover, which was at a diner near the boarder where we had our dinner. We left Phnom Penh during mid-afternoon and the views consisted mainly of vast farms, a couple of hills, rivers, and Cambodian-style houses.

During the transport of the van from one side of the river to another

Upon arrival at the stopover, the driver asked for our passports, which was checked by a guy who was waiting inside the diner. After dinner, we headed back into the van and then went through with the immigration at the boarder. We were asked to go out of the van to have our passports individually stamped by a Cambodian immigration officer seated in a small booth similar to those seen in tollgates of expressways. Then we walked from Cambodia's boarder to Vietnam's boarder where we entered the immigration building where we waited in line to have our names called. However, when they found out that we were being transported by Mekong Express, they immediately signaled us to go through the scanners, which were not working, and then proceed out of the building. Outside, we waited for our van to finish being checked for its contents, and then we were asked to walk to the gates, where, finally, they had our passports stamped by a Vietnamese immigration officer, and then handed back to us.

Immigration building

Basically, it was a really frightening experience because it was dark at that time, and you don't really know what you're going to do since even our van driver didn't inform us of what was going to transpire. But, overall, it went well.

After the passports were returned, we boarded the van and continued on to Ho Chi Minh City. You can actually see the transition between the two countries because in the Vietnamese side, there were lights and signs of bustling activity, which was very contrary to the dark and inactive Cambodian side.

I was actually very much relieved to see the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. It gave me a sense of great relief to see something that was familiar to me, as compared to what I felt during our stay in Cambodia - like I needed to be always cautious and on my guard all of the time, which was pretty exhausting.