We're not sure what possessed us to choose to visit Hue, maybe it was the allure of learning more about our Asian history and heritage (something Kiwi Girl needed a lot more of) or maybe it was just because it seemed like a common stop on the tourist trail. Either way, out of all the towns and cities we visited, Hue was our least favourite destination. Don't get us wrong, it was a beautiful city and on any other day we're sure it would have fared better in our estimations. But the blasted rainy season hitting central Vietnam did nothing to quash our uneasiness on our visit there. In Hue's defence we were only staying one night and perhaps we needed to give the city more time to warm up to us. But as we walked to the Imperial City, we couldn't help but feel like we were goldfish in a very large fishbowl. Something in our manner screamed "tourists" which meant we were accosted by men riding traditional cyclos seeking business at every turn we took. It was a relief when we finally reached the main entrance way of the Citadel where only foot traffic was allowed. In terms of the actual Imperial City (150,000 VND pp), we were awed by the traditional buildings still in tact and equally impressed with the city's efforts at restoring the structures destroyed by the war. We opted not to use a tour and to be honest one wasn't necessary because everything is well documented and you could easily spend a few hours here. Accommodation
Hong Thien Ruby Hotel Although our reaction to Hue was lacklustre, we were however really happy with our choice of accommodation for the night. Every time we entered the hotel we were greeted with glasses of freshly pressed juice and we were even upgraded to a massive family room on the top floor. Service from the hotel staff were extremely friendly despite the slight undercurrent of pressure to join their tours. And the creme de la creme of the whole experience was their all you can eat breakfasts (included in the room rate). Tip: We booked our private car transfer to Hoi An ($55 usd) through the hotel. However we recommend caution! Although our driver was amiable and knowledgeable, every stop we made along the way to Hoi An seemed like an opportunity for him to accumulate commission from the various vendors. More importantly, he has a habit of pushing a visit to his sister-in-law's tailor shop Minh Nhi Tailor if you so even give an inkling of your plans to tailor clothes in Hoi An. [More on our Hoi An tailoring experiences in the next post]. Food In all honesty there is only one place we would recommend wholeheartedly for a meal in Hue and that would be at Hanh Restaurant at 11 Pho Duc Chin. Don't leave Hue without getting their set menu (110,000 VND pp) for 5 courses of traditional dishes that is so so worth the money. The staff speak quite good English and they are more than happy to teach lost foreigner's the art of wrapping rice paper.
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AuthorWe're two Kiwi Malaysians navigating life in a modern global society. We love to seek adventure and are unashamedly food fanatics (without the pretentiousness). Most of all, we love connecting with others so please share with us your stories, opinions and recommendations! Archives
August 2017
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