01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Hue.
No tours listed for Hue yet — check back soon.
Imperial cuisine born in the Nguyen court, tiny bun bo Hue bowls stacked with shrimp paste and lemongrass, com hen clam rice, bahn beo tiny steamed rice cakes. Hue cooks with more delicacy and more heat than either Hanoi or Saigon.
04 The pantry
- Ruoc, salted shrimp paste that colours bun bo Hue broth
- Lemongrass, stalked and bruised into the imperial soups
- Annatto oil, the red oil that stains central curries
- Rice flour, ground for a dozen tiny palace snacks
- Chilli, fresh and dried in more forms than anywhere else in Vietnam
05 In the kitchen
- Simmering bun bo Hue broth with beef shank, pig knuckle and lemongrass
- Steaming tiny banh beo rice cakes in porcelain saucers
- Cooking royal-court dishes plated with imperial-era finesse
- Colouring dishes with annatto for the palace-red hue
- Wrapping banh bot loc tapioca dumplings around whole prawns
06 Eat this first
- Bun bo Hue, spicy beef noodle soup fragrant with lemongrass and shrimp paste
- Banh beo, delicate steamed rice cakes topped with shrimp floss
- Banh bot loc, translucent tapioca dumplings hiding a whole prawn
- Nem lui, minced pork skewers grilled on lemongrass stalks
- Com hen, baby-clam rice piled with peanut, herbs and crackling
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
A tall glass layered with mung bean, red bean, tapioca, lotus seed, pandan jelly and coconut cream over crushed ice. The classical Vietnamese "mixed everything" dessert.
Cubes of soft white milk pudding, cool almond-scented syrup, poached longan and crushed almonds. Ho Chi Minh City's modern minimalist chè.
A soft fluffy omelette bulked out with chopped fresh mugwort leaves, seasoned lightly with fish sauce. Northern Vietnam's traditional restorative dish for post-illness recovery.
Whole bananas wrapped in coconut sticky rice and banana leaves, then grilled over charcoal until dark caramelised. Ho Chi Minh City's late-night street dessert, drenched in sweet coconut cream.
Thin slices of raw anchovy cured briefly in lime, tossed with rice powder, roasted peanuts and mixed herbs, then wrapped in rice paper with vegetables. Da Nang's coastal specialty.
Thin flat rice-flour cakes topped with a small mound of pork and shrimp, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Hue's flat cousin to bánh bột lọc.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Hue.
Weather
Wettest city in Vietnam — hot summers (32°C-plus), heavy rains and typhoon risk from September to December, and cool damp winters. March to May is the sweet spot.
Currency
The Vietnamese dong (VND); cash for markets and small restaurants; cards for hotels and mid-range spots.
Language
Vietnamese, with the distinct Hue accent; English coverage is modest.
Etiquette
Modest dress everywhere in the Imperial Citadel and the royal tombs. Hue is more traditional than Hanoi or Saigon — slower pace, more conservative.
Getting around
The citadel is best on foot; cyclos (pedicabs) and Grab bikes cover the wider city. Dragon boats along the Perfume River are how you reach the outlying pagodas.
Prayer
Deeply Buddhist — Thien Mu Pagoda is the spiritual landmark and the royal tombs each have their own pagoda complex. Vegetarian food is common due to the monastic influence.