Exploring Hue is one of Vietnam's greatest pleasures and this full day tour reveals Hue’s fascinating history and spectacular beauty. Visit the ancient citadel, take a cyclo ride through Hue's backstreets and discover the Imperial Tombs.

Depart from your hotel around 8:30. Start at the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. The ancient citadel reflects the pomp and ceremony of the dynastic rulers as well as the scars of many years of turmoil, both ancient and modern (the Royal Citadel was badly damaged in the latter stages of the Vietnam War) but retains a sense of grace and majesty even today.  

From here take a cyclo through the Old City to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors used to come to relax; full of lotus flowers in summer there are many local style coffee shops around the lake where university students come to study.  

Continue to visit beautiful Thien Mu Pagoda overlooking the Perfume River; constructed in 1601 the 21-metre tall tower is the centrepiece of the pagoda. In the grounds of the pagoda is the Austin car made famous when in 1963, a resident monk drove the vehicle to Saigon to protest against the southern regime. The photo of his self-immolation was captured and is one of the most well known images of the War. 

Lunch at a local restaurant will be a chance to try some renowned Hue cuisine. 

In the afternoon visit the tomb of the former emperor Minh Mang, located in a tranquil setting of gardens and ponds. 

Journey on to Khai Dinh’s Tomb, which is traditional Vietnamese in design with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.

Before heading back to your hotel take time to stroll around Dong Ba Market with your guide.  The market is another of the must see sites in Hue, the stalls are teeming with colour and a great place to catch a glimpse of everyday life.

The cultural, religious, and educational centre of Vietnam, Hue has a lot of historic sites waiting to be discovered. Visit historic Thanh Toan Bridge and a 500-year old village with worship halls and communal houses, for a taste of ancient Vietnam.

Leave Hue around 8 a.m. with a stop at Bao La Village on the road to Thanh Toan Bridge.  Bao La Village is a 500-year old bamboo-weaving village where local people are very proud of their quality handicraft products.

Bao La villagers have a high degree of specialization in production process such as material treatment, bamboo bases, bamboo rims, finishing touches and decorative details.

Built two centuries ago, the covered bridge of Thanh Toan is one of only two covered bridges in Vietnam (the other being the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An).  Built as a tribute to the villagers by the wife of a high-ranking Mandarin, the bridge has survived storms, floods and wars. Next to the bridge is the local village morning market.

After visiting Thanh Toan it’s an hour’s drive north to the 500-year-old village of Phuoc Tich. Once famous and prosperous because of its pottery, the village has dozens of homes between 100 and 200 years old and several old temples, pagodas, worship halls and communal houses.

Many imprints of Champa and ancient Viet cultures are still preserved such as lingas (a very complex symbol of Hinduism). The religious culture of the village is seen via families, which have their own ancestor worship halls, each worshiping five direct generations.

Enjoy a typical Vietnamese family style lunch in one of the old houses in Phuoc Tich Village before returning to Hue by mid afternoon.

The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) was the site of some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles during the Vietnam War and a tour through this historic region of Central Vietnam is an informative glimpse in to Vietnam’s wartime history.

Visit underground tunnels and bunkers, crossing infamous battle sites and passing tranquil villages as you discover the chequered past of the DMZ.

Depart around 8 am and drive north stopping at La Vang Cathedral (which despite its years of turmoil remains an important pilgrimage site for Vietnam’s Catholics). Carry on to what is left of Quang Tri Citadel, where in 1972 a fierce battle raged for 81 days. Visit the museum where photographs, war remnants and artillery can be seen.

Continue up Highway 1 across the Hien Luong Bridge, and over the Ben Hai River, which demarcated North and South Vietnam. This area saw some of the heaviest fighting during the war. Doc Mieu Firebase, which lies just north of here, played a pivotal role in the South's defence and for a while, this was the command post for calling in airstrikes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 

The journey from here to Vinh Moc Tunnels is scenic after you leave the main highway, pass through quaint villages and skirt along Cua Tung Beach. The village of Vinh Moc found itself tragically positioned in one of the most heavily bombed areas of Vietnam.  In order to escape this bombardment, the villagers constructed approximately 2.8 km of underground tunnels, which they used as a refuge to survive the bombings.  Three hundred people lived intermittently in the tunnels from 1966 to 1971.   

From Vinh Moc, drive to Truong Son National Cemetery where the remains of some 15,000 Vietnamese soldiers and civilians have been laid to rest. Sadly many tombstones bear no name.  

Continue southwest to Khe Sanh where one the most important battles of the Vietnam War took place; the former base has bunkers, helicopters and a museum on display.

Along the way pass by ‘Rockpile’, which is a high, isolated mount that was an important lookout point by the Americans and Dakrong Bridge, where access points once ran into the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Towards the end of the afternoon drive back to Hue where you will arrive in the late afternoon or early evening. Lunch is included.