Trip Overview – 8 Days in Central Vietnam covering Lang Co, Hue and Hoi An

We spent 8 days in Central Vietnam in September 2017, just before the rainy season (October to February) which usually causes floods in Hoi An. We flew into and out from Da Nang city. Da Nang is the gateway to Hue and Hoi An, known for their UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is also the gateway to many beach-front luxury resorts, with Banyan Tree Lang Co being one of the best.

We spent 2 days at Banyan Tree Lang Co, 2 days in Hue and 4 days in Hoi An. Most people will prefer to spent more time in beautiful and historic Hoi An and skip Hue. I decided to stay a couple of days in Hue, a UNESCO World Heritage city well-known for its historic imperial city (Citadel) and imperial tombs.

Like Hue, Hoi An has plenty of history still intact. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An was a small scale trading port in Southern Vietnam. The old town has many well-preserved buildings that reflects both indigenous and foreign cultures, especially Chinese, Japanese and later European. These places include houses of prominent people, assembly halls, communal houses, shrines, temples, bridge, market and wharf. Hoi An was included in UNESCO World Heritage list in 1999.

Most visitors to Hoi An planned at least a 3-days stay. There is plenty to do at Hoi An. For those looking to make cheap and good suits, Hoi An has many tailor shops that can provide custom-made suits within 3 days. A beautiful beach is within reach by bikes or taxi from the town center. The rural countryside around the Hoi An town is also nice to explore using bikes.

Since we had already spent some time at a beach resort and had already seen a bit of rural Vietnam, we skipped these activities in Hoi An. Our activities included an early morning private tour to Mỹ Sơn, a half day cooking class at Thuan Tinh Island, sampling the local Hoi An cuisine, shopping and exploring the ancient town.

The following summarises my itinerary and where we stayed.

Day 1 (23 September 2017)

This day was spent travelling from home to Da Nang International Airport. We were picked up by staff from Banyan Tree Lang Co and transferred to the beach-front luxury resort for our weekend of bliss and pampering.

Banyan Tree Beach Villa

Where we stayed: Banyan Tree Lang Co 

Trip report – Our stay at Banyan Tree Lang Co

Day 2  (24 September 2017)

There are plenty of activities to keep guests occupied within and outside the Banyan Tree resort. These include cooking classes, golf, yoga, excursions to Hue or Hoi An, cycling, water sports or just enjoying the villa facilities.

My wife did “yoga by the beach” at 6 AM, followed by breakfast. As part of the Banyan Tree Community Reward Stay programme, we were treated to an eco-tour of Lang Co. 

Exploring rural Vietnam in an eco-tour.

The itinerary included a visit to a nearby fishing village in Canh Duong where we learnt about the hard life of the local fishermen, navigate through mangroves in a traditional basket boat, see the beautiful Lap An lagoon and also travel along a winding road up the Hai Van Pass, a journey made famous by an episode of a popular TV programme Top Gear.

Where we stayed: Banyan Tree Lang Co 

Day 3  (25 September 2017)

More free and easy activities at the Banyan Tree Resort before checking out. The award-winning Banyan Tree Spa is not to be missed.

We used the private car transfer service provided by the resort to travel to Hue.

Entrance to the Imperial Palace at the Citadel, a UNESCO world Heritage site.

After checking into our hotel in Hue, we did the walking tour of the Citadel, a UNESCO world Heritage site.

Where we stayed in Hue: Saigon Morin Hotel.

The Saigon Morin Hotel is a historic, French colonial-era hotel, located next to the Truong Tien Bridge and Perfume (Huong) River. On Le Loi Road in the city center, it is ideally located for walking to the Citadel, Dong Ba market, shopping, restaurants & bars.

Trip Report - Visit to the Citadel in the city of Hue at Central Vietnam

Day 4  (26 September 2017)

Lake at the tomb of Tu Duc or Khiem Tomb.

We allocated our second day in Hue to visit three of the most impressive tombs of Nguyen emperors. Some of the tombs actually served as palaces and living spaces for their families when they were very much alive.

The best way to visit the tombs was to hire a private taxi with an English-speaking driver for the whole day so we could visit these places at our own pace, while the taxi waited for us outside. In addition to the 3 tombs, we also made a stop at the Thien Mu pagoda.

Where we stayed in Hue: Saigon Morin Hotel.

Trip Report – Our stay the Saigon Morin Hotel

Trip Report - Three Tombs and a Pagoda. Must see sights in Hue, Central Vietnam

Day 5  (27 September 2017)

After Hue, our next destination in central Vietnam is Hoi An. The best way to travel between Hue and Hoi An is to hire a private car with a driver for a day to take us through peaceful rural landscapes, scenic coastal route across the Hai Van Pass and make sightseeing stops along the way. 

Lap An lagoon

The 128 km journey would take about 3 hours of driving, excluding stops. With stops for lunch, sightseeing and taking photographs along the way, we could depart Hue in the morning and arrive at Hoi An in the evening.

Most private taxi operators’ itineraries include suggested stops at My Khe Beach in Da Nang, Marble Mountains, Lang Co beach, Lap An lagoon, top of Hai Van Pass or even an optional stop (with additional fees payable) at a swimming place called the Elephant Springs.

The famous tiled-roofed Thanh Toan Bridge.

I requested for an additional stop at the famous tiled-roofed Thanh Toan Bridge, located 8 km east of Hue city. Tour From Hue – Family Car Transfers & Tours was happy to include that into our itinerary without additional charges.

Spent the evening at Hoi An riverside. Not to miss is the night market with many stalls and colourful lanterns for sale.

Night market with many stalls and colourful lanterns for sale.

Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay. This relatively low cost, family operated guesthouse is located close to the Hoi An Ancient Town and is perfect for exploring this historic town on foot.

Trip report - Scenic road trip from Hue to Hoi An, via Hai Van Pass, Da Nang and Marble Mountains

Day 6  (28 September 2017)

We attended a half day cooking class in Hoi An on our first morning. There are many cooking schools providing half day classes in Hoi An. I signed up with Thuan Tinh Island Cooking School, partly because of good reviews and partly because of recommendation from my relatives who visited Hoi An before.

The rest of the day was spent free and easy exploring the sights and cuisine of Hoi An.

Trying the street food in Hoi An

Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay.

Trip report - Visit to Hoi An’s morning market and cooking class at Thuan Tinh Island

Trip Report - What and where to eat while in Hoi An

Day 7  (29 September 2017)

Ruins at My Son Sanctuary

A visit to Hoi An would not be complete without a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage cultural site of Mỹ Sơn. My Son Sanctuary was once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom who ruled Central Vietnam from 4^th to 15^th century.

It is best to go early in the morning when it is much cooler and there would be less people at the site. We signed up for the Sunrise My Son Tour with Tommy Dao Tours with pick up from our hotel at 5 AM! Sacrificing a bit of morning sleep is well worth it.

Exploring Hoi An ancient town

We arrived back to Hoi An at about 10 AM in the morning. The rest of the day was spent exploring the cuisine and shopping in Hoi An at a leisurely pace. The ancient town and Thu Bon river side area is very beautiful at night when the lanterns are lit.

Hoi An riverside in the evening.

Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay.

Trip report - Visit to My Son Sanctuary, Champa ruins near Hoi An and Da Nang

Trip Report - Enjoying UNESCO World Heritage Hoi An in the evening

Day 8  (30 September 2017)

This is another free and easy day for us to explore Hoi An ancient town. One of the highlights of visiting Hoi An is to explore the insides of some of these places.

Insides of one of the assembly hall.

We bought a ticket for the ancient town with 5 coupons that allows entry into 5 historical places of our choice.

Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay.

Trip Report - 5 places to visit while exploring Hoi An’s UNESCO World Heritage old town

Trip report - 4 free and easy days in Hoi An

Day 9 ( 31 September 2017)

Travel from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport for our morning flight home.

Other trip planning tips and considerations

Buy a Data SIM card in Da Nang International Airport

A 30 day data SIM with unlimited data, LTE, from Viettel cost USD 5.5, a fraction of the price compared to what we had to pay in most countries. The card can be purchased in the luggage collection area of the airport. The staff even helped us to install and activate the card.

Buy a combo ticket when visiting the Citadel and the Imperial tombs in Hue.

Entry to the Citadel and the various Imperial tombs are chargeable. We saved some money by buying a combo ticket instead of paying the entrance fees to each place separately. This combo ticket is sold at the ticket booths outside these places.

Note: Entry to the Thien Mu Pagoda is free.

While there are group tours to the above places that cost less, we prefer to travel at our own pace. Public transport within Hue is almost non-existent and imperial tomb sites are distributed all over the outskirt of Hue city. It made sense to hire a private taxi with an English-speaking driver for the whole day so we could visit these places at our own pace and with less hassles.

Stay near the Hoi An ancient town

While there are many places to stay in Hoi An, the best way to explore and enjoy Hoi An is on foot or bike. Hence, we felt that the ideal place to stay should be within walking distance to the ancient town and riverside area. The September weather in Hoi An is hot, humid and unpredictable. Once the weather gets too hot in the afternoon, we would seek shelter in a cool cafe or head back to the cool air-con comfort of our nearby hotel to rest before venturing out again in the cooler evening.

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Visit to the Citadel in the city of Hue at Central Vietnam

25 September 2017 

I decided to spent a couple of days in Hue, a UNESCO World Heritage city well-known for its historic imperial city (Citadel) and imperial tombs.

We went to see the Citadel on the day of our arrival, leaving the whole of our second day in Hue to explore the famous Thien Mu Pagoda and a few of the imperial tombs.

A total of 13 Nguyen emperors ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, with Hue being the capital city. The site for the Citadel was chosen by the first two rulers of the Nguyen dynasty (Gia Long and Minh Mang) based on Chinese geomancy or Feng Shui principles. It is modelled after the Forbidden City in Beijing but also includes military principles to offer greatest protection. It is located on the north-western side of the Huong (Perfume) River, with its main entrance facing the river. Water from the river fills its defensive moats.

We crossed the Perfume River via the Truong Tien Bridge, in front of the Saigon Morin Hotel where we stayed. We met up with our guide for the Citadel tour at the Lac Thien restaurant at 2 PM. From there, we entered the old Hue Imperial City through a narrow arched stone gate, barely wide enough for a big truck to pass through. The road through the gate is shared by pedestrians, motorcycles, cars and other vehicles. This was one of the many gates that provided access to the huge 520 hectares Imperial City.

After passing a waterway which I later found out was the outer moat surrounding the city, we turned left and passed by the Hue War Museum with its collection of old Vietnam War era military equipment on display.  There is free entry to the museum but we just stopped briefly to snap some photos of the tanks, armoured cars, artillery pieces and war planes from the road. A few of the displays looked familiar, such as the Commando V200 armour car, Russian MiG 21, A37 Dragonfly planes

US-built A37 “Dragonfly” at the Hue War Museum. The cockpit looks like the head of a dragonfly, doesn’t it?

MiG – 21 fighter plane operated by the North Vietnamese during the war.

An antiquated Commando V200 armoured car. I operated similar vehicles during my military service in Singapore.

Soon after, we caught sight of the walls and moat of the Royal Citadel. The Royal Citadel is a citadel within a citadel.  The square shaped Royal Citadel is protected by its own moat and its main entrance is the massive Cua Ngo Mon, modelled after the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Massive Cua Ngo Mon as seen from a distance. 

In front of the gate is the Hue Flag Tower, or Ky Dai, which is hard to miss. The tall 37 meter mast had been destroyed and rebuilt through the times and now proudly flies the state flag.

Ky Dai or Hue Flag Tower.

In the old days, the Emperor may visit the pavilion on top of the Cua Ngo Mon to deliver important proclamations, watch troop movements and subjects paying homage to him.

The roof is decked in yellow (imperial colour), glazed ceramic roof tiles. On the roof tiles are golden dragons, various animals and creatures to ward off evil.

There are five entrances within the massive Moon Gate. Like all palace gates of Imperial China, Korea and Japan, the middle one is reserved only for the Emperor. Anyone caught using that gate would be beheaded! The two, slightly smaller, side entrances were reserved for mandarins, soldiers and horses. The two small arched entrances on the side were for the rest and commoners.

After entering the imposing gate using the left entrance and keeping our heads, we crossed the Bridge of Golden Water (used to be reserved for the Emperor only!), flanked by two ponds.

We then entered the Thai Hoa Palace (Hall of Supreme Harmony) right after the bridge. This is where the Emperor, along with high ranking mandarin officials, does his “meet the people” sessions and also other important court activities. No photography was allowed inside this building. We could see the throne of the Nguyen emperors, perched high on a platform.

The structure of this building is supported by 80 red lacquered columns made from solid wood from trunks of massive trees.

I am not sure if this story is true.

Our guide told us this building was built in stages.  It was first built as a simple building to appease the official from China who came to inspect the construction. After satisfying the imperial Chinese officials that the palace is not bigger than the one in Imperial China, the Vietnamese extended this building further without his knowledge.

At the back of the building, there is a video showing the construction of the Imperial City and a scaled model of the Imperial Citadel showing the layout.  The almost square area is divided by walls into zones.  The most important zone is the Purple Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is where the emperor and his immediate family reside. It is forbidden to everyone except concubines, servants to the royal family and select members of the imperial court.

Not to be missed is the The Mieu and Hung Mieu compound located in the south western part of the Citadel.

Gates to access the temple compound.

Details on one of the gates. A pale shadow of what it was before.

There used to be 9 buildings. Now only 5 remains – the 2 major temples ( The To Mieu and Hung To Mieu), Hien Lam Pavilion, the Soil God temple and the Divine Kitchen.

The Hung Mieu Temple was built by the emperor Minh Mang in the year 1821 and is dedicated to the memory of their ancestors. It is used by the Nguyen court to commemorate the death anniversaries of the emperors.  Attendance by women, including the Empress, was forbidden.

The To Temple – Its name in Vietnamese is Thế Miếu, or Temple of generations.

A royal altar in front of the The To Temple.

The The To Mieu temple contains the altars in memory of the different emperors in the Nguyen dynasty. The one in the middle is for Gia Long, the first emperor.  It is franked by the altar of the second emperor, Minh Mang, on one side and third emperor on the other side. This goes on for the rest of the emperors in the Nguyen dynasty.

Right in front of the The To Mieu temple is the Hien Lam Pavilion.

The nine Dynastic Urns and the Hien Lam Pavilion.

There are nine large funerary urns, made entirely in bronze standing in a row.  The urns are decorated with floral motifs and traditional symbols of Vietnamese culture.

Large funerary urn, made entirely in bronze. The urns have heights of about over 2 meters and weigh about 2 tons each.

They represent 9 of the emperors in Vietnam and in ancient times played an important role in many ceremonies of worship to ancestors. 

There are 4 urns to the left and 4 urns to the right with a larger urn in the centre, facing The To Mieu temple. The centre urn is dedicated to the first emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, Emperor Gia Long.

Stones steps decorated with stone dragons in the Hien Lam Pavilion. Dragon is a common theme in the palace.

Some zones within the Citadel are under restoration and not accessible during our visit. The rain started to come down as we walked pass what was to be the Forbidden City.

Bombs and artillery shells rained down on North Vietnamese forces camped within the Citadel during the Battle for Hue in 1968. The Forbidden Purple City was almost entirely destroyed.

This is what remains.

Thankfully there were some parts that were not completely destroyed or were partially restored.

Covered passageway with exhibits of ancient court documents.

Lotus pond within the Citadel.

One last place we saw before leaving was the Royal Theatre. Now it is the Hue Traditional Theatre of Art where one could enjoy performances of Hue Court Music, Royal Dance and Theatrical play.

Inside of the Hue Traditional Theatre of Art where once the emperor sat to enjoy performances.

 

Beautifully decorated window.

We ended our tour with a simple dinner at the Lac Thien restaurant. 

Walls at the Lac Thien restaurant. This place seems to be popular with independent travellers and backpackers.

Our guide introduced some local Hue cuisine to us at Lac Thien restaurant.

Banh Cuon – Hue’s speciality rice-steamed rolls with pork and green salad inside. This is to be eaten with peanut dipping sauce. 

Banh Khoai – Hue’s speciality crispy open pancake (like a taco) with fillings of pork, shrimp, eggs, green salad, slice figs. Once again,  this is to be eaten with peanut sauce as a dip.

The restaurant also serves the local noodle soup called Bun Bo Hue but our guide says the more typical Vietnamese beef pho (noodle) is better.

Enjoying local delicacies and a hot bowl of beef pho with a friendly local guide was a good way to end a visit to the Citadel on a wet day.

Saigon Morin Hotel – a historic colonial era hotel location close to the Citadel.

Thankfully, the rain stopped as we finished our dinner. That allowed us to take a slow walk back to our hotel across the river. The Truong Tien Bridge would be a good place to see the sun set across the Perfume (Huong) River, but not on this evening.

Where we stayed in Hue:

The Saigon Morin Hotel is a historic, French colonial-era hotel, located next to the Truong Tien Bridge and Perfume (Huong) River. On Le Loi Road in the city center, it is ideally located for walking to the Citadel, Dong Ba market, shopping, restaurants & bars.

Check latest prices and availability for this hotel when planning a trip to Hue.

 

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Three Tombs and a Pagoda. Must see sights in Hue, Central Vietnam

26 September 2017

After spending our first day in Hue visiting the Imperial City and Purple Forbidden City of the Nguyen emperors, we allocated our second day to visit three of the most impressive tombs of Nguyen emperors. Some of the tombs actually served as palaces and living spaces for their families when they were very much alive.

The best way to visit the tombs was to hire a private taxi with an English-speaking driver for the whole day so we can visit these places at our own pace, while the taxi waited for us outside. In addition to the 3 tombs, we also made a stop at the Thien Mu pagoda.

Being a private tour, we could choose to start the tour at any time of the day. At 9 AM, our driver picked us from our hotel in a spacious, air-conditioned Toyota SUV.

Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang

The first tomb we visited was Minh Mang’s. A total of 13 Nguyen emperors ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945 and Minh Mang was the second emperor.  He ruled from 1820 to 1840 and started building his tomb in 1820, the year he started his rule. The tomb was uncompleted at the time of his death and was actually built by his successor, Thieu Tri.

Besides being proactive in his tomb planning and construction, Minh Mang was also extremely productive. As an emperor with plenty of concubines in those days, he fathered 142 children! Our taxi driver was shaking his head in amusement as he told us that before we arrived at his tomb.

His tomb was located south of the Citadel, next to the Perfume River and took about 25 minutes by car to get there. 

We entered the tomb complex from a side gate, walked across a bridge over a stream with withering lotus leaves, and came to a large compound.

The forecourt with two rows of stone statues, flanking the Stele Pavilion. All the other buildings in the tomb complex are lined up in a straight axis, best viewed from the above photo.

A main gate (Dai Hong Mon) with 3 entrances is lined up with the first building with two rows of stone statues, comprising an elephant, a horse and several mandarins and soldiers on each side.

A main gate (Dai Hong Mon) with 3 entrances. Like all imperial gates, the centre entrance is reserved for the Emperor (dead or alive).

Detailed carved stone dragons flying through clouds decorate the stairs leading up the stele pavilion.

The tall stele in this pavilion is inscribed with the biography of Minh Mang. 

Passing through the Stele Pavilion, we walked through the Hien Duc Gate and entered the compound where the Sung An temple is located.

The Hien Duc Gate guarding access to the Sung An temple, as viewed from the top of the Stele Pavilion.

Hien Duc Gate with the larger center entrance closed.

Center entrance of the Hien Duc Gate that is reserved for emperor only.

Sung An temple, with a row of porcelain vases in front.

Sung An temple, constructed from 1840 to 1843, was the place to worship Emperor Minh Mang and his empress. In front of the Sung An temple, at the eastern side, there is a small temple, constructed in 1840, honouring the civil mandarins during Minh Mang’s reign.

We almost missed seeing the actual tomb of the emperor due to some restoration works taking place behind the Sung An temple. Despite some fencing and boarding up of the work area, we managed to find a gate that led us to the rear area.

Behind the Sung An temple, there is a gate leading to the rear area.

The rear area has more gardens, ponds and bridge leading to a small artificial hill where the emperor is supposedly buried.

Garden with bridge leading to the Pavilion of Light.

Pavilion of Light (Minh Lau).

View from the back of the Pavilion of Light.

The Pavilion of Light is built in 1841 as a tribute to the emperor’s talent and contribution. It symbolises his provisional step-over before arriving at the final resting place.

The emperor is supposedly buried in the hill beyond this stone bridge.

This huge pond is within Minh Mang’s tomb complex.

Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh

The next tomb we visited belonged to Emperor Khai Dinh, the second last Nguyen Emperor who reigned from 1916 to 1925. Like Minh Mang, Khai Dinh started construction of his own tomb before his death.

Unlike Minh Mang, Khai Dinh had only one child Bao Dai who became the last emperor. Bao Dai abdicated in 1945 and went into exile. Hence the tomb of Khai Dinh was the last Nguyen tomb to be built.

Layout of Tomb of Khai Dinh. Relatively smaller in size compared to the other tombs.

The tomb was located on the side of a mountain. Construction started in 1920 but was still uncompleted at the time of Khai Dinh’s death. Bao Dai completed the tomb in 1935.

To enter the tomb complex, we had to climb up a wide flight of stairs, lined with stone dragons (of course) before passing through a gate.  Then another flight of steps before arriving at the forecourt.

The Stele Pavilion stands in the middle of the forecourt, with two rows of stone elephant, horse and mandarins and a tall obelisk on each side. 

These statues were carved from a single large stone.

One thing that is lacking in this tomb is greenery. No garden, no ponds, few trees. Mostly cement, concrete and stones. This made the entire site hot like a furnace under the blazing sun.

Perspiration was running into my eyes as I took photos of the stone statues at the forecourt.

An officer and a gentleman.

A mandarin offered me a drink. Thanks so much.

Stone dragons on the stairs of the stele pavilion.

Some shade was provided by the Stele Pavilion, a good rest spot before continuing exploring the site further.

Inside the Stele Pavilion with a stele documenting the emperor’s life in its inscriptions.

More stairs needs to be negotiated before we arrived at the Thien Dinh Palace. The palace is located at the highest spot within the tomb site and offers a panoramic view of the surrounding valley and hills.

View from the compound where the Thien Dinh Palace is located.

Thien Dinh Palace in Khai Dinh Tomb.

We had to enter from the right side of this building and exit from the left. Thankfully, there were some benches with electric fans just inside the entrance for visitors to take a breather and cool down slightly before exploring the main hall with Khai Dinh’s altar.

Details on the roof of the Thien Dinh Palace.

Khai Dinh is known to be a “fashionista”, accordingly to my guide during the Citadel tour. This could be seen in both his dressing as well as the ornate decorations inside the Thien Dinh Palace.

Ornate and colourful ceramics and glass fragments formed pictures that lined the walls.

There are pictures depicting flowers in spring, summer, autumn and winter seasons.

Altar for worship of Emperor Khai Dinh. The Royal Crypt with his grave is located behind.

Beautiful lanterns hung from the ceilings. The ceilings were painted with pictures of dragons playing in swirling clouds.

Emperor Khai Dinh’s grave with a figure of him sitting on his throne, inside the Royal Crypt.

There is also a side room displaying curios and gifts to the royal family. Some of these items originated from France. This included a 20th Century porcelain bucket to ice drinks, given by the French government to Emperor Dong Khanh, Khai Dinh’s father. There is also a beautiful porcelain flower pot from France, painted in red and gold, clocks and a bronze incense burner encased in its own cabinet in the center of the room.

Cabinet showcasing many curios.

A bronze incense burner given to the emperor for his 40th birthday in 1924. It is decorated with motifs of unicorn, vine and squirrels, a unique combination of Eastern and Western themes.

Tomb of Tu Duc or Khiem Tomb

The tomb of Tu Duc or Khiem Tomb contrast greatly with Khai Dinh’s tomb. Much larger in size, the site is a beautiful landscape with much greenery, a man-made lake, lake side pavilions and luxurious buildings (now mostly in ruins). The island in the middle of the lake is said to be stocked with small game, for the emperor’s hunting pleasure, in those days.

Layout of Tomb of Tu Duc.

Tu Duc, the fourth Nguyen emperor, ruled for 36 years from 1848 to 1883 and had the longest reign.  Khiem Tomb was built between 1864 and 1867 and used as a palace (Khiem Palace). It became Khiem Tomb after the emperor passed away.

Entrance gate to Tomb of Tu Duc.

We entered the site from a gate that is very similar to those found within the Imperial Palace at the Citadel. A stone pathway led to the man-made Luu Khiem lake, complete with a lakeside pavilion and a boat landing platform.

The Xung Khiem Pavilion on the man-made Luu Khiem lake in the tomb of Tu Duc.

The boat landing pavilion and the Xung Khiem Pavilion.

Khiem Cung Gate with three entrances. As expected, the middle entrance is boarded up.

A flight of steps led up to the Khiem Cung Gate, controlling access to the courtyard where the Hoa Khiem Palace is located.

Hoa Khiem Temple was known as the Hoa Khiem Palace previously.

The Hoa Khiem Palace was where the emperor used to work when visiting this place. It now served as a temple (Hoa Khiem Temple) where he is worshipped.

Behind the Hoa Khiem Temple, there are more buildings where we could see a theater with props, including a throne and a sedan chair.

Is this a real throne?

Leaving the restored buildings, we entered a compound with mostly ruins. These were places where concubines once resided when they accompanied the emperor to this place. Although Tu Duc has many concubines, he had no offspring, resulting in quite a messy situation after his death since there was no clear successor.

 

 

There was not many interesting things to see in these ruins but they made good photo opportunities.

We went back to the Luu Khiem lake and followed a path that led us to the necropolis.

Forecourt in the Tu Duc tomb with stone figurines.

Here we saw the now familiar layout of a forecourt with rows of stone figurines, a stele pavilion, followed by gardens and then the tomb area.

Stele Pavilion with a 22 ton stele, inscribed with Tu Duc’s biography. He wrote the self-critical autobiography himself, before his death, since he has no offspring. Two obelisks stand on each sides of the Pavilion.

Landscaped lily pond in front of the tomb area. 

Massive gate pillars on the entrance to the walled enclosure containing the emperor’s sepulcher.

The emperor’s sepulcher.

It is said that the emperor is not buried within this tomb!

Thien Mu Pagoda

Our last stop for the day was the Thien Mu Pagoda, located by the banks of the Perfume River on the same side as the Imperial City. Tourist can access the site by “dragon boats”, wooden boats adorned with dragon heads, from the Hue City Center. We saw a few of such boats as we made our way to the entrance of the pagoda.

A popular way to access the Thien Mu Pagoda site is by “dragon boats”, wooden boats adorned with dragon heads, from the Hue City Center.

Thien Mu Pagoda is also known as the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady. A flight of steps led from the road and river bank up to the site.

The octagonal seven-level Thien Mu Pagoda as seen from the entrance to the site.

On each side of the pagoda, there are pavilions. One pavilion contains the Great Bell of Thien Mu Pagoda, cast in 1710 and weighs 1985 kg. The other pavilion houses a marble tortoise carrying a stone stele on its back. There is also a stone stele containing a poem, composed by Emperor Khai Dinh while going for a walk at Thien Mu Pagoda.

Entering a gate with fierce looking door gods at each side, we saw the Dai Hung Shrine at the end of a long walkway.

Three statues of Buddha are enshrined inside the Dai Hung Shrine and are visible through the folding doors.  

View of the joss sticks prayer urn, courtyard and entrance as seen from the shrine.

Behind the shrine is a building that housed a blue Austin car. This is the car that a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc drove from Hue to Saigon in 1963. He did self-immolation at a busy crossroad in Saigon, as an act of protest against the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of Buddhists at that time.

Blue Austin car that the Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc, drove from Hue to Saigon in 1963 before performing self immolation as an act of protest against the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of Buddhists at that time.

The famous photo of the monk in flames is hung behind the car. The Austin could be seen in the background in the photo.

Thien Mu pagoda was the last stop for our tour.

We drove past the Hue Imperial City where we saw the prominent Flag Tower or Ky Dai again.

View of the Flag Tower or Ky Dai from our taxi.

Stop and Go Cafe

We ended our tour at about 1.45 PM with a stop at the Stop and Go Cafe. This is a restaurant as well as a Hue tour operator. I had booked the above day tour via Internet prior to my visit to Hue.

The restaurant serves good local Vietnamese cuisine at a reasonable price. Not to miss are their signature Hue Royal Spring Rolls (Nem Ran) and delicious Rice Pancakes (Banh Khoai). The menu includes many western dishes too.

Delicious crispy rice pancakes (Banh Khoai) stuffed with meat and salad fillings. To be dipped in peanut sauce before eating. Best eaten with a glass of cold local beer.

Stop and Go Cafe’s signature Hue Royal Spring Rolls (Nem Ran), with chilli sauce dip.

Hue’s version of slightly spicy Beef Noodle soup called Bun Bo Hue.

A nice place to have a cold dessert would be the Bingsu King cafe, located along Nguyen Tri Phuong road, about 3 blocks away from our hotel, the Saigon Morin.

Bingsu King sells delicious Korean style shaved ice dessert with various selections of topping and ice cream, perfect for the hot and humid weather in Hue.

Where we stayed in Hue:

The Saigon Morin Hotel is a historic, French colonial-era hotel, located next to the Truong Tien Bridge and Perfume (Huong) River. On Le Loi Road in the city center, it is ideally located for walking to the Citadel, Dong Ba market, and surrounded by shopping, restaurants & bars.

Check latest prices and availability for this hotel when planning a trip to Hue.

Travel Tip

Entry to the Citadel/Imperial City and the Royal Tombs are chargeable. There are combo tickets for visits to these places that are cheaper than paying the entrance fees to each places separately. Check for these combo tickets at the ticket booth of any of the above sites.

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