As an American, I was unconsciously mispronouncing this old, imperial city as "hu" but found it is actually pronounced "who-ey." Hue is only a two-and-a-half hour drive from Hoi An and a three-and-a-half or four hour drive if you do a scenic route with stops. I originally wanted to reach Hue from Hoi An by train, as it follows the coast, but I was still not feeling well, so I opted to get a private car instead and take the scenic drive via Hai Van pass, which was rather enjoyable.
Klaudius was stopping in Hue the following day, so we buddied up to see the Citadel and Imperial Palace (former imperial capital of Vietnam). It had been lightly raining in the morning, so I stopped on the way and bought a blue poncho, which was very convenient even though it made me look like a giant Smurf in pictures.
Walking through the ruins, you can imagine the grandeur it once commanded. The space is large and takes a few hours to get through unless you prefer to manically dash around. I recommend going in the late afternoon (2:30-ish) as the Citadel closes at 5 p.m., but nobody rushes you out, so we got some nice photos around 5:30 without another soul in sight.
The next day, I reached out to Stop & Go Tours via WhatsApp to see if Klaudius and I could book the motorbike tour for the day. The manager was quick to respond and went out of his way to get us booked with a good guide on two hours' notice. He added Klaudius and me onto another couple’s booking, so we could use the same tour guide, and just got a couple more bike drivers - problem solved! For the tour, we were able to venture out to the countryside and see the Thanh Toan Bridge, Tu Hieu Pagoda, Vong Canh Hill, Royal Arena and Thien Mu Pagoda. The tour guide, in his late 60s, was quite a character and would pretend he was about to fall walking down hills, but when we reached out for him, he would laugh like a little kid. Anyone who knows me knows that most childlike things annoy the crap out of me, but aww he made me chuckle!
The other couple on the tour was super friendly as well, and we had some good conversations with them about their experiences and transition moving from South America to Asia. As someone who is sort of in limbo transition, hearing success stories keeps me positive and open to new approaches - plus it’s amazing how many travelers you meet like this!
The last stop on the tour was supposed to be a drop-off at the Citadel, but since Klaudius and I had already been there, we spent more time at the Thien Mu Pagoda while the other couple headed to the Citadel. That said, we thought there would be a chance to say thanks and goodbye to the guide and other couple before they took off, but when we came out of the Pagoda, we realized they had already gone - sadface. Once back in town, Klaudius and I walked up and down a main street looking at every bar's menu and talking to the bar workers (no exaggeration) to see if they sold cider, which I was dying to find. One of the bars we were at the night before had it on the menu, but they didn’t have any in stock, so it was our mission to find some (props to Klaudius for being totally on board with our Cider Mission Impossible). While walking, out of the blue we saw someone waving to us and walking quickly our way. Initially we thought it was someone trying to sell us something, but then we realized it was our tour guide! Small world! He felt so bad about leaving and said he had to get the other couple to the Citadel before it closed. Here was a 60+year-old man running/shuffling after us - he was too cute. Now if only he had been carrying two random ciders when he ran into us!
In despair over our failed cider hunt, Klaudius and I ended up at the same bar from the night before, DMZ. We had asked that night if they sold cider, and they said no, so I was quite surprised to ask again a day later and hear that the answer was Yes! The cider stars had finally aligned for me, and out popped a nice cold bottle of cider! Then to top it off, we bumped into the other couple from the tour at the bar. Huzza!
All good things must come to an end, so we didn’t have much time to catch up at the bar as I had to head to the airport, which I had no idea existed only two days earlier. FYI boys and girls, Hue has an airport! I had originally thought I would have to drive back to Danang to fly out again, but after learning that there was this sneaky airport, I quickly changed my departure plans. I have no idea how I missed this in my travel planning, but it must not be well known because I spoke to other travelers who had the same realization. All in all, a lovely two-night stop!
