Vietnam
Hue
Enjoyed Hue more than we thought we would. It is the temple and imperial city. Nice drive between Hoi An and Hue with lots of good stops
3 days (good amount of time)
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Day 1: Drive Hoi An to Hue - Marble Mountain, Lady Buddha (Linh Ung Pagoda), Hai Van Pass, Lap An Lagoon
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Day 2: Imperial City
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Day 3: Khai Dinh, Abandoned Darago Waterpark, Tu Duc (favorite day)
Hotel: Scarlet Boutique Hotel- central location, large well decorated room, friendly staff, good breakfast although lobby breakfast area not as inviting as other hotels
Favorite restaurant or bar: Secret Lounge, Banh Ganh, Nook Eatery
Day 1: Drive Hoi An to Hue - Marble Mountain, Lady Buddha (Linh Ung Pagoda), Hai Van Pass, Lap An Lagoon
Transferred to Hue (Imperial City) for New Year’s Eve. Loved seeing the locals in their beautiful formal Vietnamese clothing, visiting royal tombs from the Nguyen Dynasty, seeing local life hanging out in the numerous cafes. Lots of partying on NYE, and similar the next night. We are obsessed with the coffee here. Salt coffee is yummy!
Found a private driver (Hung Truong) on Facebook for $76 to transport us to Hue with our requested stops, after we made it clear what we wanted and didn’t want. He was great. We left the hotel at 9am and arrived at our hotel in Hue at 4:30pm.
First stop Marble Mountain - About 30 mins from Hoi An. A cluster of marble and limestone hills with caves, pagodas, and nice views of Da Nang. We opted to hike up the steep stairs, but there was an elevator option at the opposite side.
Other caves had huge buddhas.
Plan on spending 1-2 hours. Popular place. We enjoyed it. Next stop: Lady Buddha (Linh Ung Pagoda)- A towering 67 meter statue with beautiful ocean views across to DaNang. Lots of monkeys running around the DaNang view point.
Hai Van Pass - Described as one of the most scenic roads in Asia. Epic coastal views particularly from the top.
Drove through Lap An Lagoon. Briefly stopped at a fancy pearl shop, but lagoon was more scenic.
Lang Co Beach. Just after Hai Van Pass. For lunch - Bien Ngoc Restaurant. Would not recommend. Expensive for Vietnam and not that great. Right on the beach but beach had a lot of trash. Restaurant was justifiably deserted.
After checking into our hotel, we headed to Brown Eyes Bar. Very short walk from hotel. Super friendly. Inexpensive okay cocktails. We were within the first 20 customers and received free T-shirts as they were celebrating their 26th anniversary.
Dinner: Madam Thu 2 Restaurant . After the amazing food in Hoi An, we were a little disappointed.
Walked a block near our hotel. Seemed a very popular place for locals to ring in the new year. Lots of beer drinking and fantastic people watching. Noticed people buying a case of beer for the table. Settling in for a drinking night. Don’t think people moved once they had their spot. Everyone had their own personal style and looking their personal best.
Great night to welcome in 2026!
HOTEL: The Scarlet Boutique Hotel. Breakfast included. Very friendly staff. Large, well decorated, clean room with very comfortable bed. Good central location. Lobby / Breakfast area not as inviting as other hotel lobbies to hang out, but was fine.
Day 2: Exploring within the city
Explored the Imperial City. Many locals in beautiful formal Vietnamese clothing taking pictures
Huge brick walled area with a surrounding moat. Quite deserted inside other than more dressed up groups taking photos. One of the few things we were interested in seeing was the Royal Treasury, which was unfortunately closed - New Year’s Day. Impressive to walk around. Audio and tour guides available.
Lunch just outside the first gate to the imperial city - N. Cafe & Food. Very relaxing outdoor space on the moat. Good value.
Drinks at Secret Lounge (relocated formerly called Garden Riverside Bar). Very friendly staff, free fruit, welcome shot, water bottle and snack with beer. Cocktails were good as well. Had fun playing Jenga at the table. Would return.
Dinner at Banh Ganh located above a bustling street. Tried a set menu. Food was very good.
Day 3: Exploring outside of the city
Hue has seven main royal tombs from the Nguyen Dynasty. We decided to go to two. Spent about 3 hours.
We ordered a Grab and had intended to take unique Grabs but ended up just having our driver take us to all the different stops on our itinerary. Probably a good choice as there might have been long waits in between locations. He was very happy to be our driver. Agree on price upfront.
Khai Dinh - The most unique and visually stunning, blending Vietnamese, French, and European styles with opulent mosaics and porcelain inlay.
Next we had the our driver take us to the Abandoned Dragon Waterpark at Thuy Tien Lake - The water park opened in 2004 and was operational for a few years before mysteriously shutting down, despite the fact that it cost millions to develop. It’s sat dormant ever since. Walk clock wise around the lake to see the dragon. Free admission. Nice stop.
Our final stop was Tu Duc - Offers a tranquil, poetic atmosphere with beautiful pavilions, a lake, and natural scenery, perfect for quiet contemplation. It is quite large so plan your time accordingly if you want to wander through out the grounds
Back in town we had lunch: Nook Eatery. Excellent Buddha bowl. Good spring rolls, as usual. Chicken curry also very good. Relaxing vibe.
Mandatory coffee. Tasty, as always.
Drinks: Le Cercle Rooftop Bar. Great place to catch the sunset. We dodged a torrential downpour five minutes after this photo. The waiter was very quick and experienced to close the roof and give us shelter.
Dinner: Chan. Very popular. Food was good but not the best we had.
