Hue to Hoi An: A Slow Journey Through Central Vietnam

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Arrival in Hue and the Perfume River

   We meet you at Hue airport or train station and take you to your hotel near the Perfume River. In the late afternoon we board a boat for a slow ride upriver to Thien Mu Pagoda, the seven-storey tower that has watched over the river since the 17th century. We walk back through the quiet lanes of the old city at sunset and finish with dinner at a family restaurant serving Hue specialties. Hue is a calm and green city, cut in two by the river, and the evening is the best time to feel its slow rhythm. Dinner might include bun bo Hue, the spicy beef noodle soup the city is famous for, and small rice cakes steamed in banana leaves.

   
2. Day 2 The Citadel and the Royal Tombs

   A full day with Hue’s royal past. In the morning we walk the walls, gates and courtyards of the Imperial Citadel, where the Nguyen emperors ruled until 1945, including the Forbidden Purple City and the restored halls. After lunch we drive out to the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, laid out along lakes and pine-covered hills, and the tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, decorated with glass and porcelain mosaics. Your guide shares the stories of the emperors, their court and the French period, and explains how Hue was damaged during the war and is being restored today. Each tomb was designed by the emperor himself during his lifetime, so they tell us a lot about the men who built them.

   
3. Day 3 Hue Countryside and the Hai Van Pass

   In the morning we cycle out of Hue through rice fields to the Thanh Toan tiled-roof bridge, built in the 18th century, and visit families making incense sticks and conical hats by hand. After lunch we drive south along the coast, stopping at Lang Co lagoon, where fishermen work in the shallow water, then climb over the Hai Van Pass with views of the sea and mountains. We arrive in Hoi An in the late afternoon. The Hai Van Pass was once the border between two kingdoms and is still the natural divide between the cooler north and the warmer south of Vietnam. At the top you can see old fortifications and, on a clear day, a wide view of Da Nang bay below.

   
4. Day 4 Hoi An Old Town and a Cooking Class

   We walk the old town early, before the crowds, visiting a merchant house, a Chinese assembly hall and the Japanese Covered Bridge. Late morning a local family takes us to the market to buy fresh ingredients, then teaches us to cook central Vietnamese dishes such as banh xeo pancakes and fresh rolls, which we share for lunch. The afternoon and evening are free to enjoy the lantern-lit streets. Hoi An was a busy trading port from the 15th to the 19th centuries, where Japanese, Chinese and European merchants lived side by side, and its old houses still show these influences. The cooking class takes place in a family home, and you leave with the recipes so you can cook these dishes again at home.

   
5. Day 5 My Son Sanctuary and Departure

   An early start takes us to My Son, the temple valley of the Cham kingdom, set beneath Cat’s Tooth Mountain. We walk among the brick towers, built between the 4th and 13th centuries, while the air is still cool, and watch a short Cham dance performance. We return to Hoi An by late morning, and then transfer to Da Nang airport for your onward journey. My Son was rediscovered by French archaeologists in the late 19th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way back, we can stop at a local market or a village if time allows, and your guide will make sure you reach the airport in good time for your flight.