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