Travel Guide to 5 Days in Hue

On August 19, 2020 By Psyche CastillonIn Travel Guide4 Comments

The city of Hue (pronounced “Hway” with a smile) was the former cultural, political, and religious capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty. The Nguyens ruled the country from 1802 to 1945. We all know what happened in and to Vietnam after 1945. Politics and society changed, and so did the seat of power. While Hue was almost obliterated during the Vietnam War, the city managed to keep some of the imperial complexes. In 1993, UNESCO inscribed the city and its surrounding areas, including the royal tombs, and temples as a World Heritage Site.

Continue reading →

The Book Market of Hue, Vietnam

On February 17, 2019March 30, 2024 By Psyche CastillonIn TravelLeave a comment

One month may be too short for me to make this conclusion, that theVietnamese people are a well-read people, but I will make that conclusion here. They are not just a well-read people, they are also a literary people. Books are everywhere, and everywhere there are books. Books are read, and written by, the Vietnamese people, and what really impresses me is that many of the people I saw buying books were young people.

Continue reading →

10 More Things to Love About the Cultural City of Hue

On February 17, 2019February 20, 2019 By Psyche CastillonIn UNESCO SitesLeave a comment

The city of Hue and its surrounding complexes, including royal tombs, parks, gardens, pagodas, and temples are included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. Think 10-kilometer citadel, and hundred more kilometer former bastion of the Nguyen dynasty, the last ruling dynasty in Vietnam. If that is not one reason to convince you to visit this small, laid-back, and tree-lined city, then here are 10 more reasons (in no particular order).

Continue reading →

The Anh Dinh Palace, Hue’s Hidden Pearl*

On February 12, 2019March 30, 2024 By Psyche CastillonIn TravelLeave a comment

The afternoon walk around Hue’s Imperial Citadel drained my energy. It was hot and humid and my brain was trying to process a lot of beautiful architectural design and trying to process the exact words I will be writing down in my travel journal when I get to our home stay. We needed a break. So, we hailed a cab and directed the driver to take us to the Anh Dinh Palace.

Continue reading →

Hue Imperial Citadel, The Combination Ticket, and How to Avoid Being Scammed

On February 8, 2019March 30, 2024 By Psyche CastillonIn Travel, UNESCO SitesLeave a comment

On our first day in Hue, at around 5 in the afternoon, we stepped inside the gates of the Imperial Citadel. A rickshaw driver, in uniform approached us, offered us a deal of 300,000VND (676PhP) for a tour of the citadel and surrounding royal tombs. It was our first day and it was a tempting offer but I thought it was a too-good-to-be-true offer especially because we already learned ahead that the citadel ticket costs at least 150,000VND (338PhP) per person.

Continue reading →