At 08h00, our guide will pick you up at the hotel and lead you to the pier for boat embarkment. We start the cruise down Perfume River, around 30km in length and owes its name to its path through aromatic forests. Along the way, we visit several famous sites. First, we visit Thien Mu pagoda, often the subject of folk songs and regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital.
Next we visit Tu Duc’s tomb nestled in a vast pine forest, around 7km from Hue’s centre. It covers an extensive area of 12 hectares with nearly 50 constructions, including lakes, mounts, palaces, pavilions, temples, altars, etc. Different from other somber tombs, Tomb of Tu Duc offers a romantic and relaxing ambiance as it also incorporates some buildings for the king’s residency.
The last stop of the morning is at Minh Mang’s tomb. The construction was started in 1840 by King Minh Mang but completed three years later by his successor, King Thieu Tri as the father king passed away while everything was going on. The whole premises consists of 40 structures, including gates, palaces, temples, pavilions, altars, yards, statues, etc. The tomb’s magnificent architecture represents nothing more than the majesty of the emperor.
After lunch on board, we start the cruise back to Hue centre. On the way, we stop at Thuy Bieu village.
Seen on the map, Thuy Bieu Village, surrounded by the Perfume River, resembles the water gourd from which the area derived its name. Thuy Bieu is featured by its rustic settings, typical of Hue countryside. The whole village is hidden in luxuriant gardens of citruit and bamboo. Local peole live in small blue cottages, built in traditional architecture with small chambers, titled roof and long gate. All houses have a small altar on one side of the gate dedicated to ancestor worshipping. You may also find many temples and communal houses in the village, a feature of Hue culture. See more /p>
Our boat reaches the pier in Hue centre around 16h00.