Theme: Ship/Boat
The boats taking travelers and tourists along the perfume river are called dragon boats, because they are all adorned with dragon designs. Boats come in all shapes, larger ones which can accommodate 10-15 people for cheaper tours, and smaller ones for private tours. All these boats are owned by local families, who also live on the boat... and are docked by the riverside in the new part of Hue, where most hotels are. It doesn't matter which boat you take, there's no added luxury to any, since you'll be sitting on plastic chairs, no matter how much or little you have paid. If you take a tour by a travel agent (we paid it 5 dollars) a light lunch is included... this is rice and vegetables. The lady of the boat, during the cruise, will come round with a menu... you can choose extra food and she'll hop off at some stage to go buy it... and prepare it for you at lunchtime.

Theme: Motorcycle
If you decide to travel to the royal tombs outside hue by boat - which is a very scenic way of getting there, you'll need to travel by xe om (mototaxi) to some of the tombs, as they are located far from the river. There will be motos waiting for you were the boat docks, and they will ask you for 20000 dongs to get you to the tombs and back - no point in negotiating the fare here, everyone used this fix price. The best is to pay them when they take you back to the boat, as some tried to charge people more, either by saying that it was 20000 for one way, or else by pretending you had not paid them.

Getting around Hue
The town is pretty small, so getting around is pretty easy. If the weathers nice, which is a rare case, you should rent a bike and get around that way. Even if the weather is crappy you might be better off donning a raincoat and taking a bike. Taxies are few and far in-between and kind of pain to get once you’re away from the city center.

Hue to Hanoi by open bus ticket
(last date took the bus - July 12, 2006) Saigon - Nha Trang - Hoi An - Hue - Hanoi Bus fare - US $ 14.00 Open Bus Ticket An Phu Travel & Service Address: 203 Pham Ngu Lao St. Pham Ngu Lao Ward, Dist. 1 Ho Chi Min City Route: July 7 : Saigon - Nha Trang July 8: Nha Trang - Hoi An July 9: Hoi An - Hue July 13: HUE - Hanoi Point of Origin: Hoi An Point of Destination: Hanoi Departure time - 7:15 p.m. Arrival time - 7:30 a.m. (next day)

• Looking for Hue hotels, Hue tours, Hue travel guide - click here