Hue: A Journey Through Vietnam’s Imperial Past
Hue is a city that occupies the central partof Vietnam and situated in an area where the grandeur of an imperial past still lingers. The city became the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last royal family, and continues to exist as a living museum of architecture, tradition, and refined cultural beauty.
Unlike the rush of modern cities, Hue invites you to slow down. It is a city defined by elegance: quiet alleys shaded by frangipani trees, ancient garden houses dressed in moss, and soft strains of melodious music flowing through imperial halls. Not simply a city to visit; this is a city where you are going to feel.
For those that have made it to Hue aboard the much-vaunted SJourney luxury train, the experience begins well before the arrival. In the graceful movement of the train across the countryside, its vintage Indochine design and gentle rhythms introduce one to the timelessness that characterizes the city.
1. Morning: Riding Through Royal Memories
The vintage Vespa, humming with the city’s past, will take you through your day in Hue, starting from the museum. From the first turn, it ushers you back in time to that epoch when emperors would stroll in silence, while royal life remained hidden behind citadel walls.
The first stopping point is the Imperial City (Dai Noi) – Vietnam’s erstwhile political and spiritual center. You will see ancient gates, quiet courtyards, and grandiose palaces, among them the Thai Hoa Palace and the Forbidden Purple City – once the sites where emperors held their courts. Every detail, whether the golden lacquered columns or the roofs carved with dragons, tells the story of the commitment to harmony, precision, and beauty.
Away from the royal precincts and on a fabulous ride on the Vespa, you will also tour some traditional craft villages where the cultural legacy of the Nguyen Dynasty still exists. In the bronze-casting village, artisans use centuries-old techniques to cast ceremonial objects, gongs, and bells that were once used in imperial rituals.
Next up is Ho Quyen Arena – a stone stadium for royal elephant-tiger fights – and the Elephant Shrine, a dull and somber place that once offered prayers for these magnificent creatures. These are lesser-known yet powerful symbols of Hue’s imperial culture.
2. Midday: A Taste of Royal Elegance
As the sun moves towards noon, you will find yourself far away from the historic sites and off into the countryside, where you will find a traditional garden house. Its beautiful flowering trees and koi ponds make the place an even more special, quiet oasis.
In this space, savor a noble royal lunch created from seasonal elements and plated artistically. The grilled river prawns that pair well with the lotus seed soup and the traditional bánh bèo (steamed rice cakes) are mouth-watering and pleasing to the eyes, like those highly valued in royal banquets once served in the imperial palace. It is not just food in this paradise. It is an invitation to the grace, reserve, and sophistication of an older, noble Vietnam.
3. Afternoon: Down the Perfume River – Echoes and Essence
You can never truly say that you have been to Hue unless you have taken a melodramatic, slow voyage along the warm waters of the Perfume River. As the boat drifts past ancient pagodas, rural hamlets, and green rice fields, one understands well why this river served as a backdrop for the eternal rest of the emperors. Now walk ashore at Thanh Tien village, known for its three-hundred-year-old tradition of making paper flowers. These handmade flowers, carefully and proudly made for royal rituals in the past, are lovingly shaped. Here, a small bloom may be fashioned by you—a local keeper’s gift with local meaning and creativity.
This leisurely afternoon opens your heart to the artistic spirit of Hue and to how deeply nature, craft, and spiritual life are embedded in the psyche of this region.
4. Evening: A Night Steeped in Imperial Grace
Evening falls. Come, prepare for one of Hue’s most magical experiences at Ben Xuan Garden House – a place of culture where architecture, music, and food converge in perfect harmony.
The noble houses of the Nguyen Dynasty inspired Ben Xuan’s architecture, which is stunning for allowing a truly brief insight into the artistic lifestyle of ancient Hue. Here, in a private concert hall, traditional music can be heard once more, filling the air with melodies once reserved for royalty.
Dinner is a royal fine-dining event, with dishes carefully chosen from historical monarch’s cookbooks. You will savor the same subtle flavors that once graced the imperial table and only under candlelight, with the simple charm of blooming gardens and antique wood around you.
It is not just a dinner. It is a celebration of culture, memory, and the lasting beauty of Hue with its imperial identity.
5. SJourney – A Graceful Passage into History
While Hue presents innumerable options to plunge into history, SJourney registers its presence almost poetically, gently guiding travelers into the past. Dressed in Indochine elegance of the 1930s but equipped with modern amenities, the train is not hasty; it glides on like the Perfume River, connecting the past with a present full of grace.
To take the SJourney to Hue is, of course, a question of comfort; but more than that, it is to pay homage to the travel experience itself. It is like honoring the heritage you are about to discover long before you set foot on imperial grounds.
6. Hue – A Legacy Etched in Time
Hue is not loud. It does not need to be. Its strength lies in subtlety, in the graceful way it holds onto its royal heritage. Every street, every palace, every dish and every melody – all are parts of a story that continues to live.
To visit Hue is to enter a world where beauty is quiet, where history is alive, and where culture is expressed in the most elegant of ways. For those seeking something deeper, something meaningful – Hue offers more than memories. It offers a timeless connection. Hue – where the legacy of emperors becomes part of your journey.
