The Cultural – Tour to the Royal Citadel, Tien Mu Pagoda and the Tomb at Dong Khanh at sunset was amazing. We packed a lot into this one day with a motor cycle tour in the morning and the cultural tour in the afternoon.
Our guide, Thanh, was exceptional with vast amounts of knowledge about the ancient (and not so ancient) past of the areas we visited.
The Royal Citadel and grounds is a popular destination with many tourists in attendance. But, we managed (through our guide’s excellent leader skills) to skirt the most crowed places and get good views and pictures of most things (where we were allowed to take pictures as it is not allowed in some areas). The stories he told brought the day-to-day activities of the Imperial Court to life as well as his explanations of the restoration of the actual palace residences. 
Workers were happy to take a short break to have pictures taken of them going about their jobs (which they seem very happy to be doing).
Check out this link: http://www.vietnamtravel.org/hues-imperial-citadel
The Tien Mu Pagoda was also a great place to visit with the history of the pagoda and it’s benefactor being an essential element of the stop. Check it out here: http://hugico.com.vn/
The Tomb of Dong Khanh, where ancient soldiers with weather worn carved faces stood vigilant over the main central square, and the rush to take photos of the sun setting into oblivion behind the massive arches of the sanctuary, was a high light of this exceptional bit of history.
Catch up on the region here: https://www.vietnamonline.com/destination/hue.html
This was a whirlwind of a tour but so well worth it. Highly recommended for the quality of the tour guide services and the beauty of the historical places featured.
©MTQ
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