After spending time in the backcountry of Vietnam on the Buffalo Run, it was hard to get too excited about our visit to Hue. Although it isn’t a major highlight of Vietnam, thousands of travelers visit this city every year as they make their way through Vietnam from Hanoi to HCMC and it was easy to see why. The city has a fantastic vibe and really great culture.
We happened to roll into Hue the night before Halloween, so we had a nice time celebrating the Western holiday with other backpackers.
However, the first thing we did was head across the river to pay a visit to the old imperial city, which was the palace of the Kings until the mid-1900s. Today it is the most beautiful and top attraction to visit in Hue.
Don’t leave home without: Lonely Planet Vietnam (Travel Guide)
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Tips for photographing the Imperial City
- See the city in the late afternoon, when the sun is lower
- Take photos with your back to the late afternoon sun to avoid wash out
- If you want to catch sun beams, find a place to limit the flow of light to your lens- an obstruction of a building or tree works great to prevent wash out
- Also, adjust your aperture for best results on capturing direct light
- Be patient, people will be walking around at the same time as you, but they will move on. Just hang out in a spot for the perfect shots without people in them.
More on Vietnam:
- 30 Epic Things to do in Vietnam
- Simple Guide to Vietnamese Food
- Adventure on the High Sea- 3D/2N Halong Bay Cruise
- How To Choose a Halong Bay Cruise
- Colors of the Mekong Delta: Photo Essay
- The Vietnam Snake Man
- Hue to Hoi An Vietnam Motorbike Adventure
- Immersion in the Vietnam War
- Vietnam’s Great Adventure-The Buffalo Run
- RTW Recap: 3 Weeks in Vietnam
- Vietnamese Traditional Water Puppet Show in Hanoi
- 34 Amazing Southeast Asia Adventure Experiences
I loved Hue 🙂 Beautiful place, as was the rest of Vietnam, wasn’t a cloud in the sky when we were in the city, but it’s hard to take a bad photo in that country anyway!
Great shots, the Imperial City was one of the highlights of Hue for me. Wish my photos of there looked this good!
I just went to Hue last week, it is a pretty interesting place and there are even some more interesting sight apart from the imperial city
Stunning photos. Thanks for sharing and for the photo-taking tips.
You’re welcome and glad you enjoyed.
This is really pretty! Can’t wait to go on a private tour of Hue city!
Thank you! Hue is a beautiful city that is easily done on your own.
Wonderful Hué 🙂
Although I love patina on old buildings, I hope they will restore these monuments in time and don’t let them rot. I would feel sorry for them, they’re so marvelous.
Stunning place, great photos!
Hello! Thank you for stopping by. Yea it is nice to see them in a more natural state, but there is certainly loads of maintenance needed to keep them from decaying. The imperial city in Hue is beautiful though.
Those are really beautiful photos of Hue, Lina! I too loved the city and especially the beautiful city moat with the colorful gate houses. Not a bad place to arrive unexcited and to leave pleasantly surprised… 🙂
Thank you Dennis! We arrived at the best time of day so the light was beautiful. We were pleasantly surprised with Hue after hearing some things from other travelers about it not being that great. We loved it and even got to celebrate Halloween while there! 🙂 Glad you liked the photos.
Hey Lina, will you show us some city pictures there too? Love seeing how different cultures live! And thanks to you and Dave, I get to!
We have loads of local photos too!! Just a matter of getting everything processed and put up somewhere for you. 🙂