Hue
After visiting the Citadel, try this excellent Vietnamese place with aluminium furniture that draws a local crowd for superior versions of two local street-food classics. The banh khoai (rice crêpes filled with pork and shrimp) are crammed with bean sprouts, and the nem lui (grilled pork and lemongrass skewers) go perfectly with a chilled Huda lager.
There's also delicious veggie and quail egg filled pancakes. Closing time can be somewhat flexible so go for lunch.
2.8 MILES
Built on a small hill overlooking the Song Huong (Perfume River), 4km southwest of the Citadel, this seven-storey pagoda is an icon of Vietnam and as…
0.57 MILES
Taking up the southwest corner of the Imperial Enclosure, this highly impressive walled complex has been beautifully restored. The imposing three-tiered…
0.41 MILES
The Imperial Enclosure or Imperial City is a citadel-within-a-citadel, housing the emperor’s residence, temples and palaces, and the main buildings of…
5.25 MILES
This hillside monument is a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements. Most of the tomb’s grandiose exterior is covered in darkened, weathered…
3.03 MILES
This tomb (completed in 1867) is the most popular, imposing and impressive of the royal mausoleums, designed by Emperor Tu Duc himself before his death…
6.03 MILES
Planned during Minh Mang’s reign (1820–40) but built by his successor, Thieu Tri, this majestic tomb, on the west bank of the Perfume River, is renowned…
0.49 MILES
The principal entrance to the Imperial Enclosure is Ngo Mon Gate, which faces the Flag Tower. The central passageway with its yellow doors was reserved…
2.49 MILES
Wildly overgrown but evocative, Ho Quyen was built in 1830 for the royal pastime of watching elephants and tigers face off in combat. The tigers (and…
0.22 MILES
Occupying the northeast corner of the Imperial Enclosure, these delightful gardens were developed by the first four emperors of the Nguyen dynasty but…
0.3 MILES
Formerly a school for princes and the sons of high-ranking mandarins, this slightly rundown complex has a pagoda devoted to archaeology, a small Natural…
0.32 MILES
The exquisite (though crumbling) little two-storey Emperor’s Reading Room was the only part of the Purple Forbidden City to escape damage during the…
5. Thai To Mieu Temple Complex
0.33 MILES
Almost nothing remains of the former Thai To Mieu temple complex – it's now a plant nursery.
0.33 MILES
The Royal Theatre, begun in 1826 and later home to the National Conservatory of Music, has been rebuilt on its former foundations. When performances aren…
0.37 MILES
In the very centre of the Imperial Enclosure, there's almost nothing left of the once-magnificent Purple Forbidden City. This was a citadel-within-a…
0.38 MILES
Located immediately behind Thai Hoa Palace, on either side of a courtyard, these halls were used by mandarins as offices and to prepare for court…