Hue, located in the central region of Vietnam, is famous for its historical sites and outstanding cultural features. Besides, it is also an ideal destination for family travel. From exploring the Hue Imperial Citadel to enjoying outdoor experiences and other exciting activities, Hue can offer everything your family needs. Let’s explore the top 06 amazing things to do in Hue with kids with Handspan Travel Indochina!

Through this blog post, you will find detailed information about these activities below.

Exploring Hue Imperial Citadel

• Time for sightseeing:  From 07.30 a.m. to 05.00 p.m.
• Price: VND 200.000/ person 

Hue Imperial Citadel

Exploring Hue Imperial Citadel is one of the best things to do in Hue with kids. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage, this attraction stands as a captivating testament to Vietnam's rich imperial past. Once the heart of the Nguyen Dynasty, this enchanting city boasts a mesmerizing blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. Visiting this attraction, you and your kids can enjoy the exciting experiences below. 

Exploring critical architectural landmarks 

With an area of 520 ha, Hue Imperial Citadel has two regions. They are places for residents and mandarins living and the Imperial Citadel for the Emperors and nobles living. The Imperial Citadel is the second citadel in which the Kings and mandarins worked under the Nguyen Dynasty. The last defense is the Forbidden City, which includes many palaces where the Kings and royal families live. Outstanding architectural landmarks include The Meridian Gate, Hue Flag Tower, Thai Hoa Palace, Forbidden Purple City, and Nine Dynastic Urns. Coming to these landmarks, you can learn about the culture, history, and lifestyle of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family. 

Inside the Forbidden Purple City

Discovering magnificent royal tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty

Discovering the royal tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty can make your journey in the Hue Imperial Citadel one of the most exciting things to do in Hue with kids. The royal tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors are masterpieces of feng shui, meticulously designed with attention to the surrounding rivers, mountains, lakes, and ponds. Each tomb is typically divided into two main sections: the burial area, where the emperor’s remains are interred, and the temple area, featuring an exquisite array of pavilions, halls, and palaces. These tombs, often used as retreats by the emperors during their lifetimes, showcase a unique and exceptional artistic style, making them a remarkable feat of architecture.

Tu Duc Tomb

More detailed information about these tombs can be found here: Exploring the royal tombs of the Nguyen Emperors in Hue. 

Taking a family photo in front of the Ngo Mon Gate

Ngo Mon Gate in Hue stands out as one of the most outstanding architectural works of ancient Vietnamese architecture in general and the Nguyen Dynasty in particular. The gate was built in a complex architectural style, consisting of two main parts: the lower platform and the Ngu Phung pavilion above, designed in harmony, matching each other, forming a unified whole despite the different nature and construction materials. The gate is a beautiful backdrop for family photos. 

Ngo Mon Gate

Overall, with the above activities, the Hue Imperial Citadel becomes an educational and entertaining experience for your family trip to Hue. 

Taking a dragon boat ride on the Perfume River

Taking a dragon boat ride on the Perfume River is also among the things to do in Hue with kids. The Hue dragon boat experience is a journey imbued with local culture, where you can explore the history, art, and cuisine of Hue amidst the poetic landscape of the Perfume River and Ngu Mountain. 

Taking a dragon boat on Huong River

The traditional Hue dragon boat still maintains their characteristic shape from ancient times. The boat's head is decorated with dragon-shaped cast iron pieces with full details such as eyes, nose, mouth, mane, and tail. The boat's body is meticulously painted with dragon scales in many eye-catching colors. Taking a dragon boat ride on the Perfume River, you and your kids can have an extremely comfortable and relaxing experience on the river. Here’s how you can enjoy the dragon boat ride. 

Admiring sunset on the Perfume River

The Perfume River is well-known for its charming beauty, especially at sunset. Taking a dragon boat ride in the afternoon will help you and your children enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, watching the shimmering golden sunlight reflecting on the water's surface.

Sunset on the Huong River

Enjoying the Hue Royal Court Music on the boat

Enjoying the Hue Royal Court Music on the boat is one of the best things to do in Hue with kids that you should not miss. In 2003, UNESCO recognized Hue Royal Court Music as an intangible cultural heritage. Currently, Hue Royal Court Music with forms such as orchestra, songs, pieces, and dances is performed regularly in Duyet Thi Duong and on the Huong River.

Hue Royal Court Music on the boat

In 2003, UNESCO recognized Hue Royal Court Music as an intangible cultural heritage. Currently, Hue Royal Court Music with forms such as orchestra, songs, pieces, and dances is performed. Each show lasts 1 hour from 07.00 p.m. to 08.00 p.m. or 08.00 p.m. to 09.00 p.m. daily. Let’s enjoy the performances with your kids and share your feelings about the show! For more detailed information about this unique art performance, please refer to our blog post here: Exploring Hue Royal Court Music, the ancient cultural heritage of Hue.

Enjoying Hue’s specialties

Staying on the boat, you also have the opportunity to enjoy unique central cuisine. The diverse menu, from royal dinners to royal banquets, are all delicately decorated and bear the royal mark. This will help you experience a part of royal life and enjoy rich Hue specialties in a romantic space along the Perfume River. 

In general, taking a dragon boat trip on the Perfume River will be an interesting and meaningful trip, helping children discover the natural beauty, and royal music, as well as the long-standing culture and history of Hue.

Visiting traditional craft villages in Hue

Visiting traditional craft villages is also among the exciting things to do in Hue with kids. The traditional craft villages in Hue have many artistic and traditional values. Coming to these villages, you and your kids can learn about the process of making traditional craft products. Below are some traditional craft villages in Hue that you may want to drop by. 

Thuy Xuan Incense Village

Thuy Xuan Incense Village is one of the traditional villages in Hue that you should visit. The village is located on Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street, near Vong Canh Hill, 7 kilometers from the Hue city center to the Southwest. The incense-making traditional craft appeared here about 700 years ago under the Nguyen Dynasty. Coming here, you will feel amazed by the village’s ancient beauty and colorful bouquets of incense. This craft village is famous for many unique products such as agarwood cones, coiled incense, cinnamon incense, lemongrass oil incense, etc.

Thuy Xuan Incense Village

Making incense in Thuy Xuan Incense Village

Phu Cam conical hat village

Phu Cam Conical Hat Village is also on the list of outstanding traditional craft villages in Hue. This village demonstrates pure manual activities and the unique cultural and artistic features of the people in Hue. The village was founded in the 17th century when hat makers from neighboring regions came to this land to settle and develop the craft. Undergoing the history, Phu Cam conical hat craft village has become an indispensable part of the culture of the ancient capital Hue. 

Phu Cam Conical Hat Village

Learning to decorate the conical hat in the Phu Cam Conical Hat Village

Thanh Tien Bougainvillea Village 

Among the traditional craft villages in Hue, Thanh Tien Bougainvillea Village is also an outstanding spot. The village has over 300 years of tradition in producing five-color paper flowers and paper lotus flowers. Coming here, you can find exquisite handmade paper flower products. Paper flowers are formed from folk beliefs. They are often displayed in important places of worship of the Hue people.

Making paper flowers in the Thanh Tien Bougainvillea Village

Overall, visiting traditional craft villages is among the best things to do in Hue with kids. More villages and detailed information about those villages can be found here: Exploring the top 07 traditional craft villages in Hue.

Discovering Bach Ma National Park

Bach Ma National Park

Discovering Bach Ma National Park is among the exciting and educational things to do in Hue with kids. The park offers a great mix of nature exploration, wildlife spotting, and light trekking, making it ideal for young explorers. Let’s explore amazing experiences with kids in Bach Ma National Park with us!

Enjoying short, family-friendly hikes

Bach Ma National Park offers several easy-to-moderate hiking trails suitable for families with young children. The Hai Vong Dai trekking route is the most ideal hiking route for families with children. Hai Vong Dai Trail is just nearly 1 kilometer. Following the Granite paved road, you will reach the Hai Vong Dai, standing at 1430 meters. Staying here, you will be surprised by the panoramic view of mountains, rivers, lagoons, and the sea. While trekking, you can immerse yourself in the lush forests and breathtaking surrounding scenery.

Bach Ma National Park hiking route

Bird watching

Bach Ma National Park is a paradise for bird watching. It is home to more than 360 bird species, among which 16 species are in the Vietnam Red Book, 13 species are in the IUCN Red Book, and 13 are endemic species. Rare and endemic species, such as the crested argus and Edwards's pheasant, can be found here. 

Bird watching in Bach Ma National Park

Wildlife spotting

Keep an eye out for the diverse wildlife in Bach Ma National Park. Besides various bird species, you may also encounter macaques, langurs, reptiles, and butterflies. 

Bach Ma Langur

Camping and Picnicking

The park provides designated areas for camping and picnicking. Camping in Bach Ma National Park can be a memorable experience, allowing you to fully appreciate the natural wonders of the area while enjoying a peaceful outdoor adventure. Just remember to leave your camping area clean and respect the park's regulations. 

With the above fantastic experiences, discovering Bach Ma National Park is indeed one of the outstanding things to do in Hue with kids. For more detailed information about the park, please refer to our blog post here: Bach Ma National Park, one of the ideal spots for ecotourism in Vietnam. 

Immersing yourself in Lang Co Beach

Immersing yourself in Lang Co Beach is also among the amazing things to do in 

Hue with kids. This is a great chance for your family to enjoy relaxing moments by the beach and explore exciting activities. Lang Co Beach is famous for its clear blue water, gentle waves, and fine sand, safe for children's activities. The seawater in Lang Co is quite calm and safe, suitable for children to swim and play water sports. 

Lang Co Beach

Besides immersing yourself in the cool water, you can drop by the nearby Lang Co fishing village. Lang Co fishing village is where children can learn about the lives of coastal fishermen, from fishing to daily activities.

Additionally, don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy fresh seafood. Lang Co is a seafood paradise with many types of fish, shrimp, crab, and fresh seafood dishes prepared on the spot. 

Trying Hue’s specialties

Besides ancient palaces, Hue is also well-known for its sophisticated and various cuisine with many simply processed but aromatic and attractive dishes. This makes trying Hue’s specialties one of the special things to do in Hue with kids. Here are some specialties in Hue you should try with your family.

Hue beef noodles 

The authentic beef noodles in Hue must be different from the remixable beef noodles somewhere in Vietnam. The ingredients include vermicelli, spacy broth as the favor of Hue people with pork pie, and some fresh herbs. It makes delicious and authentic Hue beef noodles. 

Hue beef noodles

Mussel Rice 

Mussel Rice is also among the worth-trying specialties in Hue. It’s a typical dish here that you can see in many eateries in the street. You can enjoy a piece of tough and good mussel meat fried with fancy spices with white rice and pork rind. You can also try this food with Hue shrimp paste, making it a perfect dish that satisfies any taste. 

Mussel rice

Sweet soups 

Sweet soups seem to be nosh dishes from different cuisines in Vietnam. You can easily see many sweet soup stalls on any street in Hue. A glass of delicious sweet soup with various flavors satisfies your bud of taste. There are many well-known sweet soups such as corn, grilled pork wrapped in cassava flour, taro paste, etc. 

Hue sweet soups

Besides these dishes, there are many other specialties in Hue that you may want to try. Let’s come and enjoy the food!

In general, you have just known about the top 06 things to do in Hue with kids. Hope that these pieces of information will be helpful for you. If you want to book a Hue tour package or tailor your itinerary, please don’t hesitate to contact our team.