Hue Day Trip from Hoi An: DIY Itinerary by Private Car
- Shal & James
- Jan 16
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 17
From imperial citadels to lavish royal tombs, this Hue day trip from Hoi An shows you how to explore Vietnam’s former capital at your own pace by private car.
For a deep dive into Vietnam’s royal past, Hue* is where it’s at. Home to UNESCO-listed sites like the Imperial City and opulent Imperial Tombs. Complex of Hue Monuments was Vietnam's first UNESCO listing and for good reason.
After hours of research, we figured out that while you can book a private or group tour to explore either the Imperial City or the three Imperial Tombs (plus Thien Mu Pagoda), there's no tour that includes both.
So, we went rogue and hired a private driver to scoop us up in Hoi An, hit the scenic highlights en route, and explore Hue on our own terms for maximum freedom.
The driver was listed at £44.16 pp for 10 hours (converted: €50.90 / US$59.05), but we wanted more. A quick message via GetYourGuide later, we agreed to pay the driver 1M VND in cash (£28.38 / €32.76 / US$38.06) to stretch it to 14 hours.
The car was spacious, and it came with what felt like an endless supply of bottled water.
*Local pronunciation sounds like"Hway" (rhymes with "pay," but with a rising "question" tone at the end).
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DIY HUE DAY TRIP ITINERARY & LOGISTICS
Full disclosure: this is a wildly packed day trip itinerary. Unsurprisingly, we ignored our original schedule, lingered an extra hour in the Imperial City (it's gigantic!), and knowingly sacrificed a second tomb visit (Tu Duc or Minh Mang) in the process.
If we were doing this Hue day trip from Hoi An again, we’d start at 6AM and arrange this private local guide to meet us at the Imperial City at 9:30AM, streamlining the highlights into a 2.5 hour tour, grab lunch on the way out of the Imperial City and still have time to reach a second tomb.
OUR ORIGINAL HUE ITINERARY
7AM: Hoi An hotel pick-up
8-8:30AM: Hai Van Pass Summit (open 24/7)
9-9:30AM: Lap An Lagoon (open 24/7)
10:30AM-1:30PM: Imperial City [grab quick lunch here] (daily 8AM - 5:30PM)
1:45-2:15PM: Thien Mu Pagoda (daily 8AM - 5PM)
2:45-3:30PM: Khai Dinh Tomb (daily 7AM - 5PM)
4-5/5:30PM: Tu Duc Tomb (daily 7AM - 5:30PM) OR Minh Mang Tomb (daily 7:30AM - 5PM
8/8:30PM: Hoi An hotel drop-off
Better still, we’d stay two nights in Hue, explore Khai Dinh’s tomb on arrival, then book this highly rated 8-hour private guide for a dragon boat cruise along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, followed by the Imperial City and the Minh Mang and Tu Duc tombs.This option has a five-person minimum, but we’d happily pay the full rate even as a couple. At £10 pp, that’s £50 total (converted: €57.68 / US$67.03), and still excellent value for the experience.
We’ve included what we paid with currency conversions based on current exchange rates to help with planning, but things change, so it’s always worth double checking to dodge any last-minute surprises.
HAI VAN PASS
24/7
Free
Hai Van Pass is a winding mountain road with jaw-dropping views, and at its peak, you'll find a crumbling fortress, once a French and American bunker, where history and haze collide above the clouds. If you're lucky, you'll get a crystal-clear day to soak it all in...we were not so lucky, unless you count seeing clouds as a cultural experience.
LAP AN LAGOON
24/7
Free
Lap An Lagoon is where misty mountains meet mirror-like waters and locals pluck pearls from oysters like it’s no big deal. It's fascinating to see the locals here upcycle old bicycle tires into oyster nurseries.The best time to see the farmers actively working on their rafts or harvesting is 6-9AM. We arrived right at the end of the window, but if you get picked up an hour earlier as suggested, you’re far more likely to catch them.
Right across the road, you can snag seriously high-quality pearl jewellery from the lagoon's own harvests, all for a fraction of what you’d pay back home. We’re talking real-deal souvenirs that won’t break the bank. James snagged a pair of pink pearl earrings for his mom... but now Shal's wondering why she didn’t get a set too!
If pearl jewellery isn't your thing, stop by B&H Villa Cafe across the street from the lagoon to snag a coconut coffee instead. Just remember it's cash only!
HUE IMPERIAL CITY & FORBIDDEN CITY
Daily 8AM - 5:30PM
Advance tickets from £6.25 pp; converted: €7.20 / US$8.36
Built in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long, the first of 13 Nguyen emperors, the Hue Imperial City was modelled after Beijing’s Forbidden City but infused with Vietnamese traditions, including its own Forbidden Purple City. If you’re new to the world of Forbidden Cities, here’s the deal: these were exclusive, VIP-only palaces where only the emperor, empress, and inner circle could enter, from handpicked concubines to top officials.
History runs deep here. Most notably in 1945, when Emperor Bao Dai, Vietnam’s last emperor, abdicated on these very grounds, handing power to Ho Chi Minh and ending imperial rule.
Hue Imperial City is a sprawling, two-square-mile maze of temples, palaces, and gardens that had us both wandering and marvelling. We quickly realised why most people opt for bikes as our feet were feeling it after over four hours of exploring on foot!
We tried the audio guide, but it didn’t exactly wow us with insights. While the the grandeur of the structures spoke volumes on their own, a local private guide would have brought the history to life.
If we were doing this Hue day trip from Hoi An again, we would arrange this private local guide to meet us at the Imperial City at 9:30AM, streamlining the highlights into a 2.5 hour tour, grab lunch on the way out of the Imperial City.
We booked tickets to the Complex of Hue Monuments in advance on Klook (from £6.25 pp; converted: €7.20 / US$8.36) to dodge the dreaded long queues and avoid any disappointment. But when we got to the monuments, there were no lines, and it was cheaper to pay cash on-site. That said, nothing would be more heartbreaking than making the trek all the way there and not getting in. So, yeah, we'd probably do the same thing again just to be safe!
THIEN MU PAGODA
Daily 8AM - 5PM
Free
Legend has it that a mysterious old woman, draped in red and blue, appeared on the hill where Thien Mu Pagoda now stands. She foretold that a great lord would build a pagoda there to bring prosperity to the land.
Lord Nguyen Hoang took the prophecy to heart and in 1601, he made it a reality. While it's not part of the UNESCO-listed, Complex of Hue Monuments, the seven-story-octagonal pagoda is really impressive and seeing monks in prayer was pure, unplanned magic.
KHAI DINH TOMB
Daily 8AM - 5PM
Advance combo tickets from £12.79 pp; converted: €14.76 / US$17.14
The original plan was to hit up two of the four Imperial Tombs, but, since we got way too carried away in the Imperial City and ended up with just one royal tomb, we made it count.
Khai Dinh’s Tomb is the smallest and the only one not UNESCO-listed, yet it’s also the most expensive of the four. Blending Vietnamese and European styles in unapologetic opulence, it features dragon-painted ceilings, intricate mosaics, and a bronze statue of the emperor, beneath which his coffin rests nine metres underground.
We booked combo tickets to the Complex of Hue Monuments in advance on Klook (from£12.79 pp; converted: €14.76 / US$17.14) to dodge the dreaded long queues and avoid any disappointment. But when we got to the monuments, there were no lines, and it was cheaper to pay cash on-site. That said, nothing would be more heartbreaking than making the trek all the way there and not getting in. So, yeah, we'd probably do the same thing again just to be safe!
TU DUC TOMB
Daily 7AM - 5:30PM
Advance combo tickets from £12.79 pp; converted: €14.76 / US$17.14
We were gutted that we missed the Tu Duc Tomb. The emperor had 300 wives and concubines and no children. His tomb, like his life, is full of intrigue, though he isn’t actually buried there. To keep his final resting place a secret, the 200 labourers who knew its location were, well… permanently silenced.
The tomb is known for its peaceful, romantic atmosphere with lots of greenery and water. We understand that ~1.5 hours is needed to explore the site.
MINH MANG TOMB
Daily 7:30AM - 5PM
Advance combo tickets from £12.79 pp; converted: €14.76 / US$17.14
Last but not least is the Minh Mang Tomb that's in the "Tomb Triangle," a sprawling site with serene lakes, lush gardens, and 40 structures (palaces, temples, and pavilions)! Its an example of impressive, classic "Imperial" architecture with a grand sense of scale. We understand that ~1.25 hours is needed to explore the site.
The fourth Imperial Tomb, Gia Long, the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty is 16km from the city centre, adding 1.5-2 hours of travel time which is why its not often visited even though it is UNESCO-listed. Gia Long Tomb is known for its austere, massive, and naturalistic design. It supposed to feel more like a vast, quiet forest than a monument. While beautiful, it allegedly lacks the "wow-factor" of the other tombs.
NOT QUITE DONE EXPLORING?
About to check Vietnam off the bucket list? Start with our 15 Vietnam travel tips for first-timers and exact 3 week Vietnam itinerary, or opt for the pared-back 2 week Vietnam itinerary if you’re travelling on a tighter schedule.
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