Hue Imperial City Day Trip: Boat Ride & Lunch Review

Thinking about a day trip to Hue’s Imperial City, including a river boat ride and lunch? Then you might be in the perfect spot. A tour like this usually promises an engaging peek into Vietnam’s royal history along with some cool experiences along the way, such as gliding down the Perfume River and seeing some amazing historic places. So, I’ll tell you all about one such trip, discussing what went down, what impressed me, and some things you might wanna think about to, maybe, make the trip even better for your adventure.

Setting Sail: The Perfume River Boat Trip

Okay, first up: that boat trip. Then it’s almost always a pretty chilled beginning to the whole day, going by boat down the Perfume River. Apparently the river gets its distinctive name from the flowers that drop into it from the orchards up stream, or that’s the gist I heard. Anyhow, it’s like your floating gently by scenes that change pretty quickly, that showcase the peaceful countryside and the daily life going on near the riverside, or you know, the banks.

The Thien Mu Pagoda was the first place on the river and the place where we actually stopped, it’s almost always a truly spectacular location viewed directly from the water; the impressive tower loomed high. A few of these trips usually give you some time to actually get off the boat and look around this storied temple. Even if you’re very interested in architecture, just kinda wandering around the courtyard offered moments for peaceful reflection, which sounds corny, sure, yet it was what it was, or you know, what it felt like anyway. I reckon that this stop really does highlight how linked spirituality and nature actually are in Vietnamese culture; you could feel it a bit, very tangibly.

Royal Grandeur: Exploring the Imperial Citadel

Okay so the major thing: the Imperial Citadel. Once you step inside those old walls, it truly feels like you’re walking way back in time. That giant place, the formal house of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors, still has what I imagine are echoes of times long gone, so too it’s almost very interesting imagining royal court life back then.

Even though a good bit of it was damaged in wars (as you can see, when walking around), it’s still very spectacular. Arguably, the parts that still stood strongest in my mind include the Noon Gate, the Thai Hoa Palace (with all of it’s fancy work), and the Forbidden Purple City (you know, or what’s left of it). Each spot kinda told its part in the story that displayed all of the splendor, power, and now the real losses felt during Vietnam’s royal times. I’d suggest really reading up a tiny bit on these before you show up; or maybe listen closely to your guide (if you get one!). Anyway, by having that extra bit of understanding? That made my time going around the citadel just that little more meaningful and moving. Plus, knowing some of the backstories and the smaller histories might fill out some of the blanks that you’ll surely notice at some spots around this awesome yet ruined location.

A Royal Resting Place: Tomb of Minh Mang

We’re talking tombs and what-not now, and in Hue the Tomb of Minh Mang tends to be really spectacular and is often considered one of the area’s absolute best spots. Set within all those grounds dedicated to honoring this emperor are just very breathtaking and harmonious spots; his tomb shows his awesome power, beliefs in feng shui and the kinda classic aesthetic tastes that’s apparent during that royal era.

You might feel tempted just to hurry up and snap all the pictures and then buzz off, just that being real, or you can take a bit of your time to simply enjoy the nature all around, as, more or less, it encourages calm reflection. It does kinda make you think on the emperor’s achievements and also on the human approach to dealing with things such as, I don’t know, legacy and even mortality. Getting out of the tourist crush (when possible) lets anyone deeply think over just those sorts of profound themes, really adding something much deeper to your sightseeing overall, or something.

Midday Meal: Lunch aboard the Boat

Oh yeah, grub. Right, lunch on the boat. So during a long day that’s packed full of sightseeing, lunch really does come right at just the right time. Lunch itself can be a pretty mixed bag; the times I have been the food was really decent, or okay at any rate. So there tends to be several tasty examples of popular Vietnamese food to try, letting one, I think, appreciate some local meals with the cool views of the Perfume River.

Anyway, dining on the boat comes with pros and cons. Obviously the scenes surrounding you add much to the vibe; still, keep at it mind, there tends to be only enough seating/space and occasionally the food tends to be only okay, or less than piping hot. Very often the lunch stop gets paired up with visits to several craft villages close by, and some other locations in that area also sometimes give opportunities to look at more of the area’s cultural parts and also supporting the local market economy.

Some afterthoughts: Suggestions for maximizing your Day Trip Experience

If you are gonna have some time in the area it would do you well to find some cool approaches for enhancing what you see/do during your trip, right? First off, what you wear matters quite a lot: wear what’s comfortable, breathable and respectful to get ready for the temple visits. Then I guess bring hats, loads of sunscreen, shades and so on: Hue can get extremely hot.

Plus, keep bottles of water around always so you can stay very hydrated throughout the whole day of traipsing around in the sun. Should you decide on doing any shopping, that tends to happen mostly during the last leg of your tour at little artisan spots; remember you can haggle tactfully as part of that experience (so I’ve heard, I generally stink at haggling!). To further show even more respect for those you’ll meet while out touring about it’s very wise to study several standard phrases or even just showing good behavior generally; all such nice stuff tends to greatly improve your experiences whenever visiting sacred and important sites. Doing a bit more research right before the time you arrive will probably lead you seeing aspects regarding Vietnam’s Royal past which gives some needed context as it brings better appreciation for just all that complex information found round all of these historic sites. Even if it feels like high school history, all that stuff pays off for cultural trips and seeing the ‘big picture’ etc etc.

You may feel drawn towards hiring a personal guide during those times walking about within locations like the Citadel so all those spots and stories will pop to life properly, I would imagine. Ultimately; getting everything primed like all the stuff outlined before should assure almost anyone gains the most out their experience, so learning and sightseeing blends perfectly, very giving both meaningful sightseeing opportunities along with a more grounded appreciation towards all aspects from Hue through this short little tour.