Hue

The capital of feudal Vietnam for over a century, Hue still retains some of the royal character of its past today. In fact, it’s precisely that which draws tourists here: the palatial compounds of the old kings, the traditional fashions (the Vietnamese “ao dai” outfit actually originates here), the classical Vietnamese architecture, and the way even food is presented with exquisite care, as though it were still being served to princes and princesses of the realm.

Seated on the banks of the Perfume River, the city becomes redolent with the aroma of a thousand flowers every fall. This comes from the flowers that drop into the water from orchards situated upriver, and it certainly lends itself well to the appeal of this once-royal city. The autumn tourist in Hue can thus enjoy a sweetly-scented trip, made only sweeter by the fact that the vast majority of the attractions in Hue are on or near the riverbanks.

Imagine visiting the Imperial City, for instance, and seeing how the old Vietnamese royalty must have lived in all that perfumed splendor. Imagine passing through buildings as romantically named as The Hall of Supreme Harmony and gazing into the deep and still waters under the bridge at the Courtyard at Ngo Mon.

Imagine visiting the tombs of the emperors along the river and marveling at these monuments they left behind as testament to their glory in life: see tombs that have their own lakes and pavilions, and which can be called complexes in their own right.

Imagine seeing the vast temples of the city and staring out at the horizon from atop the Thien Mu Pagoda, all the while reveling in the fine perfumed breeze caressing your hair. Imagine soaking in sweet-smelling hot springs once you get tired, then retiring to your room with a repast (quite literally) fit for nobility.

In Hue, these things are no longer imaginings but opportunities. Come to Hue and you can realize a hundred dreams of living like royalty, in perfumed courtyards and beside flower-strewn waters in what was once Vietnam’s capital city.