DAY TRIPS

Nearly all visitors to Hue spend the better part of a day (at least) visiting the ROYAL TOMBS and some pagodas that straddle the hills on either side of the Perfume River south of the city. It can be done on a boat, bus or motorbike tour – or going on a rented motorbike by yourself. The tombs are interesting, but at US$3.50 a pop, an investment. But don’t leave Hue without at least seeing Tu Duc’s Tomb.

OTHER SIGHTS near Hue include Ho Chi Minh’s house and Thuan An beach. It’s a short ride away, but hardly compares with the beaches at Danang, Hoi An or Nha Trang.

Those with a day to spare often take tiring, but worthy, DMZ TOURS to the area that separated North and South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. This area bore much of the Vietnam War’s bombs and chemicals – and some areas are still not safe to explore by foot.