Hue: Imperial city and the Hai Van Pass

Hue was the imperial capital under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945, and its citadel still sits behind a moat and thick stone walls beside the Perfume River. Much of it was destroyed in 1968 during the Tet Offensive, and the restoration has been going on ever since — which means each visit shows a little more of it rebuilt than the last.

The Imperial City

• The Citadel encloses the Imperial City, and inside that sat the Forbidden Purple City, reserved for the emperor
• Kien Trung Palace reopened recently after a full reconstruction and is the most striking building in there
• Allow three hours; it's large, exposed and hot by midday, so go at opening
• The royal tombs are spread along the river outside town: Minh Mang for symmetry and gardens, Tu Duc for atmosphere, Khai Dinh for extravagant concrete-and-mosaic excess
• Thien Mu Pagoda — a seven-tier tower above the river, and the temple whose monk drove to Saigon to burn himself in protest in 1963
• Dragon boats run up the Perfume River to the tombs, slow but pleasant

The Abandoned Water Park

Ho Thuy Tien opened in 2004, never really worked, and was abandoned — leaving a vast concrete dragon rising out of an empty aquarium, slides ending in weeds and a lake gone green. It became a backpacker pilgrimage. Access has come and gone over the years as the site changed hands and security was tightened, so ask locally before riding out. Take a torch, wear proper shoes, and treat the structures as what they are: unmaintained for two decades.

The Hai Van Pass

• The coastal pass between Hue and Da Nang, made famous by Top Gear, and genuinely one of the great rides in Asia
• About 20km of switchbacks with the sea on one side; the summit has old French and American bunkers
• Most travellers ride it one-way with a company that transfers luggage separately to Hoi An
• Trucks use the tunnel underneath, which keeps the pass itself relatively quiet
• Fog and rain are common in winter — check conditions before committing, as the drops are unforgiving

Where to Eat

• Bun bo Hue — the city's lemongrass and chilli beef noodle soup, richer and spicier than pho
• Banh beo, banh loc and nem lui — the small imperial-style dishes served as sets
• Com hen — clam rice, a cheap local breakfast most visitors never try
• The riverside night market and Chu Van An street for the evening
• Hue's royal cuisine restaurants do multi-course versions of what the court ate, at tourist prices

Two nights: one for the Citadel and a tomb or two, one to ride out to the water park and then over the pass. Leave for Hai Van early — the light and the traffic are both better.