Hue Transportation

Get in

By plane:

Hue's small airport Phu Bai airport fields daily flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but flights are quite often disrupted by poor weather and it's 40 minutes away by taxi. Danang's airport, only two hours away by car now that the Hai Van Tunnel is open, is busier and more dependable. The airport is relatively out of date as most of its structures were built by the American garrison in the Vietnam War.


By train:

Several trains a day to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang (4 hours) etc. The journey down south through the Hai Van Pass is particularly scenic, and from Danang you can take a taxi or motorbike to Hoi An.

A second-class sleeper ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue costs 455,000 dong and offers a wonderful travel experience. The traveller gets to sit, lie and sleep in a very small cabin for 23 hours with five other people (nearly always Vietnamese), eat four plain but tasty and filling Vietnamese meals, listen to a fine selection of Vietnamese pop songs on the PA, and see some incomparably beautiful countryside, particularly in the last section between Da Nang and Hue. It's an excellent way to see the country and meet ordinary Vietnamese, who are unfailingly friendly and helpful, even to travellers who have not bothered to learn a word of their language. The trip is especially recommended if you like babies.


By bus:

Public buses from all the bigger Cities connect to the main Bus station (Ben Xe Hue). Although Open-Tour Buses take you directly to the hostel area, they charge more and sort of keep you from contact with locals.

• Sinh Cafe, 7 Nguyen Tri Phuong St, . Direct buses to Hoi An cost US$2 and leave twice daily: the 7:30 service crosses the Hai Van Pass and makes three stops, stretching travel time out to 6 hours, while the 13:30 service goes through the tunnel and manages the trip in four. Pick-up directly from your hotel.

Get around

By bus:

There are three main bus stations in Hue:

- Dong Ba bus station. Add: 6 Tran Hung Dao St., Tel: 823055

- Nguyen Hoang bus station. Add: 3 Le Duan St, Tel: 526523

- The South Inter-provincial bus station. Add: 333A Hung Vuong St., Tel: 826065

From the city center, apart from taxis, tourist mini-buses, taxi-bikes and taxi-motorbike, tourists can take a bus or hire a car to visit the vicinity or rural districts of Thua Thien Hue or the neighbor provinces.

For inner province travelling, visitors can take regular buses at Dong Ba bus station with the following routes: Hue-Vinh Hien, Hue-Vinh An, Hue-Binh Dien, Hue-Truoi, Hue-Pho Trach, Hue-Phong An, Hue-Sia, Hue-Van Xa, Hue-An Lo.

Also, many kinds of luxurious and convenient cars such as 4-seat, 12-seat, 24-seat, 45-seat cars are available at Tourist Companies, tourist car services in Hue with reasonable price. You can contact the following addresses to hire any kind of car as required:


+ Hanoi Vietnam Tourism - Hue Agency
Add: 18 Le Loi, Tel: 821427

+ Tourist Company of Hue city
Add: 18 Le Loi, Tel: 823577

+ Huong Giang Travel Center
Add: 17 Le Loi, Tel: 832610


Taxi:

- ATC Taxi Tourist Service: Add: 04 Ben Nghe, 44 Le Loi, Tel: 833333, 830830

- Gili Taxi: Add: 28b Nguyen Hue, Tel: 828282

- Thanh Do Taxi: Add: 333B An Duong Vuong, Tel: 858585

Taxi fare: 5,000VND/km (Hue Taxi), 6,000VND/km (other companies), in case of travelling over 50km, 100km, tourists can have a discount of 1,000 -1,500VND/km. 60,000VND/hour is fixed for travelling within the city, for Gili taxi, it is just 40,000-50,000VND per hour. For travelling to Danang, you will pay 380,000VND/one trip, Quang Tri: 230,000VND/one trip, Gili: 250,000VND, Thanh Do: 280,000VND.


Common means of transportation:

+ Taxi-bikes and taxi-motorbikes:

are available at An Cuu, Dong Ba bus stations, railway stations, shopping centres, hospitals, etc. The price will be mutually agreed in advance. The average price is about 1,000VND/km/person (for taxi-bikes). Tourists can rent motorbikes to travel around the city with reasonable price. It also depends on your itinerary. About 2,000VND/km/person.

+ Pedicab (cyclo):

Pedicab in Hue is a convenient mean because it is large with high roof. Pedicab can be used to transport goods if necessary or carry people with its roof upturned.

At present, the pedicab service in Hue is the most attractive and convenient one for tourists within the city. It is an enjoyable experience for tourists to go around the ancient and beautiful city by pedicab.

The price is mutually agreed in advance, however, the common price is 2USD/hour/person for foreigners, and 15,000VND/hour/person for Vietnamese. The tourist authority has assisted to establish a group of tourist pedicabs in front of some hotels such as: Huong Giang, Century, Hoa Hong, Sai Gon Morin, 2 Le Loi, and 5 Le Loi.


On foot:

Central Hue is quite compact, so you can reach most of the sights easily on foot. However, you'll need some transportation to get out to the emperors' tombs.


By bike:

Hire a bike and join the locals as they swarm across the bridges and along the main roads at a leisurely pace. Available for around 5 dollars a day from hotels and shops.

Bicycling is also a good option. It should cost no more than 1 dollar a day and offer a great range of possibilities at almost no risks.


By cyclo:

With cyclos and bikes, you need to know where you are going and how much it should cost, or you will be overcharged. Drivers do not see this as cheating - you are rich and they are poor. No trip in Hue should cost more than 20,000 dong.