EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Unlike Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and most other Vietnamese cities, HUÉ somehow seems to have stood aside from the current economic frenzy and, despite its calamitous history, has retained a unique cultural identity. It's a small, peaceful city, full of lakes, canals and lush vegetation and some magnificent historical sights - including the nineteenth-century walled citadel, the remnants of its once-magnificent Imperial City and seven palatial Royal Mausoleums. With all this to offer, Hué is inevitably one of Vietnam's pre-eminent tourist destinations. It's also the main jumping-off point for day-tours of the DMZ .

In 1802, Emperor Gia Long, founder of the Nguyen dynasty , moved the capital from Hanoi and built his Imperial City in Hué. From then on, the Nguyen dynasty ruled Vietnam from Hué until the abdication of Emperor Bao Dai in 1945, though the French seized the city in 1885, leaving them as nominal rulers only. During the 1968 Tet Offensive the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) held the city for 25 days, and in the ensuing counter-assault the city was all but levelled. Seven years later, on March 26, 1975, the NVA were back to liberate Hué, the first big town south of the Seventeenth Parallel. The huge task of rebuilding received a boost in 1993 when UNESCO listed Hué as a World Heritage Site.