Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and its grandeur endures in the vast Imperial City — a walled citadel within a citadel, modelled on Beijing’s Forbidden City. Beyond the palace walls, the Perfume River is lined with the tombs of emperors, each a masterpiece of feng shui, poetry, and architecture. Hue is also Vietnam’s Buddhist centre, home to the country’s most revered pagodas and a celebrated vegetarian culinary tradition.