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Published: February 22nd 2008
The Imperial Citadel in Huế city
Both Áo Dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) that I wore and Nón (conical hat) are made in Huế city.Huế city is my most visited destination in Vietnam. In December 1997, I went there for the first time as a tourist. Some years later, I was assigned by my Japanese construction company to promote "the Project for Improvement of Facilities for the Huế Central Hospital". Thanks to that assignment, I had the chance to fly there many times on the business trips. Up to early January 2020, I have been to Huế city 25 times and always feel that I have a great connection with this fascinating place.
As we all know, the Imperial Citadel, along with the splendid tombs of the Nguyễn emperors and notable pagodas in Huế city, was recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site in December 1993. Huế city was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyễn Dynasty. There were 13 emperors who ruled Vietnam during the Nguyễn Dynasty.
I still remember those business trips with my Japanese boss to Huế city and central Vietnam (Đồng Hới - Đông Hà - Huế - Đà Nẵng - Mỹ Sơn - Hội An). The morning flights from Hà Nội to Huế were very early, at 6:30am, so we had to wake up
at 4:00am, as the company driver had to run around the city to pick us up. We then traveled a long way to the airport to catch up with our flights. The flight from Hà Nội to Huế takes an hour, while it would take approx 12 hours by train. Upon arrival at Phú Bài airport, we had to travel 13km by taxi and went straight to the hospital for a meeting with our client (the director and management board of the hospital). After the meetings, it would be the site visit. We checked out the land where the future buildings would be located, then walked around the hospital. After our work had finished, we could relax and wait for the flight back to Hà Nội the next day or head south for other business purposes. They were indeed tiring trips, but after our project was successful, I was invited to go to Japan as a prize.
It was fun flying around Vietnam and tasting local noodles in different cities. One day, I had "Phở" noodle soup in Hà Nội as my breakfast, then flew to Huế, had a meeting with our client, then we went to have a
bowl of "Bún Bò Huế" (Hue beef noodle soup) for lunch. We traveled by car through Hải Vân pass to Hội An, had "Cao Lầu" (local noodles), then back in Đà Nẵng to enjoy "Mỳ Quảng" (local noodles) in the afternoon. The last thing on the same day we did was a flight from Đà Nẵng to Sài Gòn, and ended up having "Hủ Tíu" noodles again. For just a day, I experienced the local specialties in three regions (northern - central - southern Vietnam).
I once had my flight from Huế back to Hanoi delayed for 29 hours. Because of the thick fog in Hà Nội in February, many flights were canceled that day. I was stuck at the airport in Huế. Vietnam Airlines took us to their hotel for a night. The next day, we had to wait again, seeing our plane at the airport, but couldn't fly home. Another time, I brought four bottles of whisky as a new year present for our client. My ticket was checked, but the security staff didn't allow me to bring the bottles into the plane, as they were afraid the bottles would be broken. The crew member and airport
The Imperial Citadel
The view of the Imperial Citadel. security staff called each other many times and disagreed with each other. Finally, I was allowed to fly, but all the passengers on that flight had to wait for me. It was an embarrassing situation.
When going to Huế on business, sometimes I took the chance to visit other sites near the city, for example, DMZ (demilitarized zone during the American war) near Đông Hà - Khe Sanh, Phong Nha cave near Đồng Hới, Tam Giang lagoon, Thuận An beach, Thanh Tân hot spring etc. One of the unforgettable experience was a visit to Phú Cam village, where the locals make conical hats (Nón bài thơ). The conical hats in Huế are special, because the locals put a picture and romantic love poem inside the layers of the hats. When exposing it to the sun, we could read the poem. The conical hats are made of dried leaves which cover a frame then sewed up. The girl I met that day at Phú Cam village lost an arm. I was amazed by her ability to sew the hats, then with the only one arm, she quickly put into a nylon bag the hat that my boss bought for his
daughter. I cannot imagine how a disabled girl could do so many works. She said that she could sew a conical hat per day, and a conical hat just costs a dollar.
Another highlight of my trips was the visit to a clinic in A Lưới district. The locals are very poor, but they were so warm-hearted. One of the great things in Huế city is to meet with the locals. They have preserved many traditional customs in their lifestyle. There is a town inside the Imperial Citadel, and it's surrounded by the citadel walls. I was invited once to have lunch with a local family living in this area. I saw bamboo trees and a well. Local people have a simple life and it is very relaxing.
Thanh Tân hot spring is located 30km from Huế city's center. My boss and I went there by taxi. It rained and there were only two of us walking around with an umbrella. Some people approached us and said they were from the Huế Television and wanted to interview us about our impression on the place. My boss answered the interview and I interpreted into Vietnamese. However, we missed the
chance to see ourselves on TV that night.
Landing at the airport in heavy rain and walking around the citadel where some parts were flooded due to a typhoon in November 2013 were a different experience with any trip I had ever made before. On my latest trip in early January 2020 it rained every day but I still had a great time.
The food in Huế is great. There are hundreds of royal dishes that used to be served for the emperors. The must-eat foods in Huế are Bún Bò Huế (beef noodle soup), Bánh bèo - Bánh nậm - Bánh bột lọc (various kinds of rice cakes with prawn), Bánh khoái (pancake with prawn, pork and vegetables), Nem lụi (pork barbecue stick), Bún thịt nướng (noodles, pork barbecue and vegetables), Cơm hến (rice with tiny clams), seafood hotpot etc. I love the food there, but the locals eat very spicy food. We once took a long taxi ride to a local restaurant named "Quán Bà Đỏ" just to taste the cakes. When we looked at the bill, we were very surprised, because it was so cheap. The taxi cost even much more than the food. Later
Trường Tiền Bridge
This is one of the city's symbols. we found another restaurant right in the city and kept going back there every time we were in the city.
My most memorable experience is the helpful people I worked with in Huế city. They were the director, deputy directors, secretary and admin staff of the hospital. Without their assistance, we couldn't promote the project successfully. The secretary of the hospital was an old man, nearly 70 years old. He could speak and translate in both English and French. He also loves to travel, just like I do. Sadly, he couldn't go to Japan, only the director and deputy director of the hospital I used to work with. We all were happy to meet each other again in Japan, when my company was awarded the contract for the civil works.
The photos in this blog were taken on my different trips to Huế city in 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2020. On the trip in January 2008, I took some photos with an Áo Dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) for my photo album. Both Áo Dài and Nón bài thơ (conical hat) that I wore are made in Huế. When I walked along the street toward the Imperial Citadel, an
old lady in Huế said "Beautiful Áo Dài", I turned back and thanked her. The typical color of Áo Dài in Huế is violet, but I didn't choose that color, as I already had one in Hà Nội and wanted another color. My purpose on the next trip in 2009 was to see flower markets and Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere before moving on by bus to Savanakhet in southern Laos.
I remember how relaxing it was when sitting on an old wall of the Flag Tower, watching the kites flying in the sky. I remember the boat ride along the Perfume river at night, listening to Huế's songs performed by the local girls and watching the candle lights on the river. I remember how delicious the food was, and how kind and helpful the locals were to me. 25 trips were 25 different experience. Huế city always is one of my favorite destinations in Vietnam.
Blog about the Lunar New Year in Huế city:
Tết 2009 in Huế city
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rubin pham
non-member comment
hue travel
i visited hue in december 2007. the most beautiful city i have ever visited. so many sights to see and the people are so friendly. i hope i can go back there in the near future.