Travel notebook

Vietnam Airlines has five Boeing 777 flights a week from Sydney and five weekly services from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City’s international airport. There are four daily flights from HCM City on to Hue.

Vietnam can also be a stopover holiday en route to Europe as the country’s national carrier has direct flights to Paris, Moscow and Frankfurt. For details of flights and fares see your travel agent or contact Vietnam Airlines offices in Sydney (02) 9283 1355, Melbourne (03) 9606 0658 or toll free 1 300 888 028.

March and April are ideal with June, July and August being very hot and humid. The winter monsoon from October to February brings cool, wet weather.

Accommodation

Hue offers options from family run guesthouses and budget lodges to star rated properties and grand hotels like the Celadon Palace. Surrounded by lush gardens, this 222 room designer hotel offers a signature spa and a massive pool, all located near the Perfume River. See www.celadonpalacehue.com

The popular Mandarin Café, 24 Tran Can Van St, is a delightful place to dine on local specialities like banh khoai, a crepe topped with peanut sauce.

The pleasant owner, Mr Cu is not only an acclaimed photographer and happy to show his gallery of images, he is very knowledgeable about the city and region.

Excursion

Hue is an excellent base for exploring other attractions in central Vietnam. Perhaps the most spectacular is the Phong Nha cave system, 162 km northwest of Hue. (This natural marvel is just 50 km from Dong Hoi where family oriented beachside resort accommodation is available.)

Formed about 250 million years ago, there are 14 chambers linked by the world’s longest known underground river. A virtual convoy of boats departs from the jetty and transports visitors into and through a short section of the illuminated grotto from dawn to dusk. There are sandy banks in the grotto where visitors can alight for an up-close examination of limestone formations.)

Information

Vietnam does not have a tourist office in Australia and only limited tourist information is available from the Consulate-General in Sydney and the Embassy of Vietnam in Canberra where your tourist visa is issued. See www.vnconsulate.org.au

Lonely Planet’s Vietnam has a chapter on Hue. See www.vietnamtourism.com and www.hue.gov.vn