Huế to Go!
We made it Huế (pronounced “hway”) relatively unscathed after the initial issues with our overnight train being cancelled, and luckily had a smooth early morning plane trip with Vietnam Airlines from Hanoi. We were only in Huế for one full day, but we managed to make the most of our time there, and even find some great spots to recommend to others who are visiting:
Where to Stay: The White Lotus Hotel Huế
We spent two nights at the White Lotus Hotel in Huế, which we would highly recommend for families. We booked their family suite, which was made up of two large ensuite bedrooms — one for us, one for the kids — with a living room in between (that we barely used). The room had spectacular views over the Perfume River from the 10th floor, and the fact that this hotel towered over its surroundings made it a cinch to navigate back to.
We managed to peek into the hotel’s regular rooms (i.e. not the family suites) as we walked up and down the tenth floor hallway, and while they looked nice enough, they were just normal hotel rooms. The family suite was definitely the winner.
The hotel was modern and clean, and the full buffet breakfast was certainly a hit with our kids as was the large pool on the fifth floor.
What to Do: The Imperial Citadel
With only one full day in Huế, we didn’t have a ton of time to see all of its sights, but we were able to explore its main attraction, the Imperial Citadel, which was located on the opposite side of the river from the hotel.
Being more of a walking family (and needing to burn off some of the massive buffet breakfasts we had all eaten), we headed over to the citadel on foot, which took around half an hour. We used the Cầu Phú Xuân bridge on the way there and the Cầu Trường Tiền bridge on the way back, both of which had a separated pedestrian sidewalk, the Cầu Trường Tiền felt safer since it had a sidewalk that was physically separated from traffic by a large concrete barrier. The Phú Xuân bridge had just an elevated sidewalk, which is still pretty good for Vietnam.
Exploring the Imperial Citadel was a great activity for our family, and an excellent worldschooling opportunity for Little Miss and Young Mister WorldSmith, who were very engaged in the exploration of the site and its history. Overall, we would highly recommend a visit here with kids. The main entrance is through the Meridian Gate and costs 200 dong for adults (our 5- and 7-year-olds were free).
Where to Eat: Our Two Local Favourites
This cute little brewpub has a wide variety of fantastic craft brew beers and ciders and amazing wood-fired pizzas, and is very child friendly. The owner’s four-year-old daughter was hanging out there when we visited, and Little Miss WorldSmith had a great time playing Jenga with her and some of the other servers after dinner. This stop was a welcome taste of home after two months on the road. Our total cost for two large pizzas with a few drinks was around 20–25 USD.
Another stand out for us was the Nook Eatery, which had a good variety of food on offer, including both Vietnamese and western dishes. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the environment upstairs was bright, relaxed, and very cute. The even let the kids pick out a toy from their toy chest at the end of the meal. The total cost for four meals and a beverage was between 20–25 USD.