Palaces, Pagodas, Tombs, and Train Tracks: A History Tour of Hidden Huế

(6 reviews)

Huế audio tour: Palaces, Pagodas, Tombs, and Train Tracks: A History Tour of Hidden Huế

This is a 1.7mi walking tour

It takes an average of 75 mins to complete.

Huế

Vietnam

$7.99

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About the Tour

Most visitors overlook Vietnam's former imperial capital, but this provincial city has a momentous story to tell. Huế is where the Nguyễn Dynasty established an opulent capital, the French mounted a campaign of colonial manipulation, and the Americans triggered a battle that would shock the world.

In this tour travel, writer Joshua Zukas tells Huế's story - but not through the popular sights. Instead, the tour moves through lesser-known neighborhoods, passing a centuries-old pagoda, the local train street, a labyrinthine market, a riverside garden house, a retro church, an army blockhouse and a forgotten tomb. At each stop, which you're likely to have all to yourself, a chapter of Huế's complex story unfolds before your eyes.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

Study Huế’s evolution from grand imperial capital to devastating war zone to neglected backwater to prosperous provincial city
Discover the Art Deco elegance of La Residence, once home to French colonial officials who controlled Vietnam’s puppet emperors and now a luxury hotel
Explore the 17th-century Báo Quốc Pagoda, where you’ll see evidence that the Nguyễn were influential lords centuries before becoming emperors
Walk along Huế’s ”train street” - without another tourist in sight (unlike Hanoi's train street).
Pass a traditional garden house, with its private river wharf and blend of Vietnamese and European architectural styles
Explore Bến Ngự Market, where vendors sell everything from fresh produce to household goods - but no tourist trinkets
Understand how the brutal 1968 Battle of Hue shaped the city’s landscape and memory
Sip Vietnamese coffee at a hidden cafe and tuck into typical Huế dishes at a local restaurant
Conclude at Dục Đức Tomb, dedicated to an emperor who ruled for only three days before (probably) starving to death

By the end of this 75-minute tour, you’ll have a sense of the link between Vietnam’s imperial past and Huế’s enduring cultural identity. It’s perfect for history enthusiasts seeking deeper insights beyond the standard tourist sights in a city that remains slower-paced and more traditional than its metropolitan counterparts.

Tour Producer

Joshua Zukas

6 tours

I value depth over breadth, which is why I write almost exclusively about Vietnam—a country I’ve called home for more than a decade.

Why Vietnam? Because I love a good story, and Vietnam is teeming with them. Some are mythological, others grounded in historical fact, but most inhabit that compelling grey space in between. I draw on these narratives whenever possible in my work, whether writing guidebooks for Lonely Planet, Fodor’s and Hardie Grant, or features for The Economist, Wallpaper, Business Insider, The Michelin Guide and others. I’m also the author of Bradt’s Vietnam, the most in-depth guide to the country currently on the market. I hold a BA in Southeast Asian Studies, specialising in Vietnam, and an MSc in Sustainable Tourism.

My VoiceMap walking tours offer more than an introduction to Vietnam’s complex history. They bring to life the stories hiding in plain sight, lead you down alleyways you might otherwise pass by, and introduce you to street food spots that most tourists never find.

Preview Location

Location 13

Turn right down Hue's train street

Now don't cross the train tracks and turn right instead. We're going to walk along this quiet street that runs along the tracks. If you've already visited the carnival that is the train street in Hanoi, this should be very relaxing in comparison. Just keep going straight all t... Now don't cross the train tracks and turn right instead. We're going to walk along this quiet street that runs along the tracks. If you've already visited the carnival that is the train street in Hanoi, this should be very relaxing in comparison. Just keep going straight all the way as we won't turn until we hit the road, and if you're lucky you might get to see a train come. If that happens, stop and pause the tour while watching the train as it'll certainly drown me out.

So, where were we? By the time that Emperor Tu Duc had died in 1883, the French had already taken present-day Ho Chi Minh City and were advancing northwards. That same year, a French fleet assembled at the mouth of the Perfume River and opened fire. The emperor at the time, Hiệp Hòa, sued for peace. Within a few years, the whole of Vietnam was under French control. As French influence over Vietnam increased, the power and influence of the Nguyen dissipated, though it suited the colonial overlords to keep the architecture of the monarchy -- as long as the emperors fell in line.

For the next 70 years, the Nguyen Dynasty remained emperors of Vietnam, but under the yoke of the French, which is why our story now moves away from the Nguyen dynasty for a while -- though we will revisit them later.

The French transformed Vietnam. Hue remained important, but in 1902 Hanoi became the capital of French Indochina, which covered Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. For more on that, check out my tour in Hanoi.

Hue withdrew into a royal, provincial city, while Hanoi and Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, developed into the country's most important metropolises. But the French still left their mark on the city, and not just with the hotel at the beginning and these train tracks. They built the train station, which sits nearby, and the blood-red Quốc Học high school, in part to teach French to Vietnam's elite scholarly class. The south side of the Perfume River, where we started, was lined with large French buildings, many of which are still standing today. If you have an interest in colonial architecture, I highly recommend strolling along the southern riverbank, moving between the riverside park and the overwater boardwalk that was built in recent years.

Elsewhere in Hue the Vietnamese elite built leafy garden houses for themselves, and the city developed a reputation as one of the most attractive in all of Asia. We're going to see one of these garden houses in just a moment, but first a trip to the market. Continue straight and I'll tell you when to turn. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Azerai La Residence, Hue
Báo Quốc Temple
Ben Ngu Market
Lạc Tịnh Viên
Ben Ngu Parish Church - Sacred Heart Congregation, Hue
Phu Cam Cathedral
Teo Restaurant
Tomb of Dục Đức

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Điện Biên Phủ, Vĩnh Ninh, Huế, Thành phố Huế, Vietnam
Total distance

3km
Final location
An Cựu, Thuận Hóa, Hue City, Vietnam
Distance back to start location

2km

Directions to Starting Point

This tour begins at the southern end of Điện Biên Phủ Street, close to La Residence Hotel and next to the Perfume River. If you can see the Vietnamese flag flying high on the other side of the water, you're in the right place.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Several stops along the way provide opportunities to rest and recuperate, including a local rice restaurant serving authentic Hue cuisine that's completely off the tourist trail. Note that the restaurant opens at 10am and stays open for most of the day.

Best time of day

It depends on the weather, but keep in mind that the last stop - Dục Đức Tomb - usually closes at around 5pm. In the cooler rainy season (October-February), the tour is good at any time of the day (but bring an umbrella). In the very hot dry(er) season, the morning is best, but note that the restaurant only opens at around 10am.

Precautions

The 2-mile route follows quiet residential streets with occasional short climbs and train track crossings. While mostly flat, the journey includes sections where you'll share the road with local traffic. Stay close to the side of the road and keep your wits about you at all times when sidewalks aren't available. Important: when crossing streets, look out for traffic coming in all directions. You may wish to pause the tour when crossing streets at very busy times so you can focus on the traffic!

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”