Hue is unusual in the sense that the city center is remarkably plain and mostly free of attractions, with the exception of the less-than-spectacular citadel that dominates the area north of the Perfume River. Most of the things to see are pagodas, temples, and craft centers that are best reached on a river cruise combined with a bus ride, and thankfully those are quite cheap.
| Population | 1,200,000 |
| Area | 1,200,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+7 |
| Currency | Vietnam Dong |
| Airports | Phu Bai International (HUI) |
Hotels are cheap, as you’d expect in Vietnam, and standards are fairly high. You can expect air-conditioning, a fridge, cable TV, and even Wi-Fi in most 2-star hotels starting around US$10 per night. There are plenty of 3-star and up options as well, with the biggest cluster being within a block or two of Pham Ngu Lao street. Several upscale hotels line the southern shore of the river, and you’ll pay a big price for the view.
In spite of the monsoon season that can bring Hue to its knees, the low season for hotels here is actually the sizzling summer months from May through September, and high season is from October through April.
The best time of the year to visit is mid December through March, and hotels are very cheap by international standards anyway so the money you’ll save during “low season” won’t add up to much.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 7.00 - 23.00 |
| 15.00 - 28.00 |
| 16.00 - 50.00 |
| 32.00 - 73.00 |
| 71.00 - 115.00 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 5.00 - 9.00 |
| Location | Description | Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hue Citadel | The city's biggest and most central attraction isn't as interesting as you'd think, but you have to see it when you are here anyway. | adults | 1.57 |
| All day river cruise/bus tour | Most of Hue's attractions are the pagodas and temples spread around the area, and a cruise on the Perfume River along with a bus ride is the common way to see them all. | high-end low-end | 39.92 21.07 |
| One-hour cyclo tour | Cyclo (bike taxi) drivers will constantly offer you their services, and the price is negotiable so be tough if you want a deal. | high-end low-end | 4.72 1.97 |
Food and drinks are predictably cheap, with standards in tourist-aimed restaurants being unusually high. Many places in the hotel district have white table clothes and cloth napkins, yet still have similar prices to more basic places in the area. As usual, lager beer is the most popular drink, and finding deals on cold ones is easy, with even a few happy hours advertised at popular places.
| Food Type | Description | Price(USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget breakfast | Many hotels include free breakfast. If yours doesn't you've still got plenty of good options. | 0.87 - 2.36 |
| Budget lunch | There are scores of nice restaurants that welcome tourists all day and all evening, with excellent food. | 1.30 - 2.36 |
| Budget dinner | Quite a few restaurants look fancy from the street though prices still tend to be low. | 1.97 - 3.93 |
| Bia hoi (fresh local beer) | There aren't nearly as many bia hoi places as in Hanoi, but a few have pretty good stuff at great prices. | 0.24 - 0.39 |
| Bottled beer (.5L) | Huda is the popular local lager, but Tiger and many other regional ones are available as well. | 0.63 - 1.26 |
| Vodka (.75L) | All over Vietnam you can get surprisingly good local vodka at ridiculous prices. | 1.97 - 3.15 |
| Bun bo Hue | The city's signature dish is a beef soup with pasta-like noodles, and you can usually get it from morning until night. | 0.98 - 1.97 |
| Soft drink (can) | Various soft drinks are available, chilled, on every street and on every menu. | 0.47 - 0.71 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Train from Hanoi (1st class seat or sleeper) | 35.40 |
| Train from Danang (Hoi An) | 25.72 - 27.53 |
| Motorbike taxi from train station to hotel area | 0.98 - 1.18 |
| Month | High F | Low F | Precip (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 74 | 63 | 7.1 |
| February | 76 | 65 | 3.7 |
| March | 81 | 68 | 2.6 |
| April | 87 | 72 | 2.4 |
| May | 92 | 75 | 3.3 |
| June | 94 | 77 | 3.8 |
| July | 94 | 77 | 2 |
| August | 94 | 76 | 5.4 |
| September | 88 | 74 | 19.8 |
| October | 83 | 72 | 27.1 |
| November | 79 | 69 | 25.5 |
| December | 75 | 65 | 14.8 |
Hue is humid pretty much all year long, though from December through February you’ll have days when it’s cool enough that you won’t notice the humidity. The city is famous for random rainstorms and frequent cloud cover, but during the monsoon season from September through early December, things can get ridiculous with rainfall.
Unless you specifically want to see what an Asian city looks like that is drowning under heavy rains, it’s probably best to avoid the last few months of the year. January through May is the most pleasant time, though things can still get steamy and even wet.
| 21 Mar | 5:53am | 6:00pm |
| 21 Jun | 5:12am | 6:21pm |
| 21 Sep | 5:39am | 6:03pm |
| 21 Dec | 5:58am | 5:38pm |