Hue Imperial City…
The moment you step through its gates, you feel it in your entire body this is truly an imperial city, living up to its name. Until my journey to Vietnam, it was a hidden treasure waiting for me to discover.
I love wandering through historical spaces; the energy of those eras somehow seeps into the present day. Climbing a stone staircase or touching a massive wooden gate, the lives of the people who breathed here centuries ago vividly flash before my eyes.
"What kind of people were they? What did it feel like to live on these lands?" I always wonder. In Hue, I was enveloped by this exact feeling.
This place has an energy that is hard to put into words—deep and strangely familiar. The moment you walk in, it feels as though you are passing through a portal, teleported to another time. It is so calm, quiet, and peaceful… All the intensity of the outside world suddenly gives way to a profound stillness.
Built in the early 19th century during the Nguyen Dynasty, this majestic structure served for many years as the cultural and political heart of Vietnam. Shaped in 1804 by the vision of Emperor Gia Long, this massive complex stands today as a unique gem on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Walking inside, you feel the royal aesthetic, the elegance of the period, and the wisdom of centuries in every corner. This is a magnificent heritage carrying the spirit of time into the present day.
So, how did I discover this city, and what kind of day trip did I plan from Da Nang?
Hue is located north of Da Nang, about a two-and-a-half to three-hour train ride away. I was chatting with a friend in Da Nang about beautiful routes around the area. When the conversation turned to Hue, they mentioned that a female friend of theirs, who was also traveling alone like me, had recently taken the train there. She spoke with great delight about how safe the journey was and how beautiful the city turned out to be. My inner voice immediately said, "I guess this is another sweet sign from the universe." The next day, I began researching the logistics. I looked into how a day trip could be organized and how to buy tickets. Then, I found a website where you can book train tickets online in Vietnam. I truly love how technology simplifies life like this. I easily arranged my round-trip tickets a few days in advance, setting it up to leave in the morning and return in the evening. The tickets arrived in my inbox instantly, with all instructions on how to use them clearly stated. I am leaving the website for buying train tickets below. There is also a mobile app; downloading it to your phone before you go provides great convenience. That is how I proceeded.
On the day of the trip, I woke up early in the morning and headed to the Da Nang train station. It was about a 25-minute distance from where I was staying. Since the ticket clearly stated that you need to be at the station at least 30 minutes before the departure time, I arrived a bit early. I found a comfortable spot in the waiting lounge and started observing my surroundings. The lounge was quite full. Vietnamese families, youngsters, elders, backpackers, solo travelers, and people from many different cultures were all there together. The station had a very nostalgic feel, carrying a sense of lived history. After a while, I noticed the train approaching from the times and platform info flashing on the large screens above the gates. People slowly started moving toward the doors. This eleven-car train was coming from a different region of Vietnam and continuing its journey, with Hue City being one of its stops. Two female officers were waiting at the gate, managing the whole process. They were running around, talking rapidly and anxiously in their own language, trying to keep every detail under control. They had taken on the entire security responsibility at the station, and this heavy burden on their shoulders was clearly reflected in their tense faces. To make absolutely sure I was at the right carriage, I opened my ticket on my phone and showed it to the officer. She said something in her language, explaining with a tense and serious expression that I had to wait. When the train approached the platform and came to a complete stop, they checked our carriage info and allowed us through one by one. The officer I had just shown my ticket to pointed toward my carriage with a plain, direct gesture as I passed. She was completely focused on her job; still, it was nice that she hadn’t forgotten me in all that rush. I smiled to myself at that moment; while the officer was putting so much effort into controlling everything to keep everyone safe, I felt the need to check my ticket over and over again just for my own security.
There were sleeper cars on the train as well, but since I was only traveling for three and a half hours, I had bought a ticket for the open carriage, which is the regular passenger section. I settled into my seat, and the train moved within five minutes. We progressed quite slowly, stopping at many stations along the way. This calm pace gave me the chance to enjoy looking out the window and savoring Vietnam’s untouched landscapes to my heart's content. There were food and drink carts moving between the carriages. The luxury service of airplanes was replaced by a modest setup reminiscent of the bustling vendors on the Istanbul city ferries. The carts carried cooked meats, noodles, and rice-like traditional foods. Since their sharp smells and unappetizing appearance did not appeal to me, I turned my focus entirely to the scenery flowing past the window :)
When I arrived in Hue, I got off the train and immediately checked the location of the Imperial City on the map. It was about a 15-minute drive away. It was still early, so I decided to walk, thinking, "Maybe I’ll run into some nice surprises along the way." As I walked along the river, a very sweet cafe tucked away in the trees caught my eye. I sat there, sipped my coffee, and rested for a while. I started feeling the environment, watching the river and the surroundings. It was a very clean and orderly area, filled with castle-like historical structures and a few statues.
The Hue Imperial City was on the opposite bank of the river, and reaching it required crossing a large bridge used by vehicles. I must have walked quite a bit because I was only a five-minute walk away from the old city after crossing the bridge. When I noticed a pedestrian pathway on the sides of the bridge, I continued my walk with the same enjoyment.
About 500 meters after the end of the bridge, I reached the entrance of the Hue Imperial City. Before entering, I wanted to rest a bit and grab something to eat. I sat down at the cafe right across from the entrance. I ordered a coconut coffee which has now become a Vietnam classic for me—and those small, finger-shaped bread rolls filled with mushrooms that I had encountered on the streets of Da Nang before. I enjoyed my coffee with these simple flavors the menu offered. While resting at the table in front of the cafe, the tuk-tuk and motorbike drivers waiting at the entrance caught my attention. One of them came up to me and offered a tour with the tuk-tuk. I gently expressed in English that I preferred exploring on my own. However, he continued to repeat his offer with a much more persistent attitude than I expected. Realizing that this persistent approach would drag on, I ended the interaction right there and headed directly toward the entrance.
The entrance was free, and the area was quite calm and spacious. I was able to wander around freely, at my own pace. I also took plenty of footage for my vlog video. If you are curious, you can watch it on my YouTube channel (Somatik Sohbetler)
As I wandered inside, time slipped away without me noticing; the texture of that palace building was truly mesmerizing. Around five in the evening, people in costumes and photographers started gathering around. Taking advantage of the hours when the light is most beautiful, they were capturing these moments forever.
Around 6 PM, I left the place and started making my way back. My train was at 8.30 PM. I called a ride through Grab; I was quite hungry and wanted to try a restaurant I had eyed online earlier. It was a very elegant and meticulous place inside a hotel. The serenity of the venue belonged entirely to me. I chose a traditional Vietnamese platter from the menu and ordered a nice glass of wine. It felt as though I had taken myself out on a special dinner date. Soft classical music was playing in the background. With that ambient setting, I felt as if I were in a chic restaurant in Paris rather than Vietnam. It felt as though I had completely teleported there for a moment. The service from the team, consisting of incredibly gentle and polite women, was nothing short of wonderful. To be honest, this short luxury break felt so good after the sweet fatigue of the day.
If your path ever crosses with Hue and you wish to teleport from Asia to Europe for a brief moment, I am leaving the name of the restaurant here for you to experience this timeless ambiance: : Le Parfum Restaurant.
It is located very close to the Hue Railway Station, right by the river, in the heart of a historic French colonial-era building. Perhaps when you happen to visit one day, you won't just stop by for a meal, but you might also choose to stay in this beautiful hotel that fascinates with its Art Deco style; why not? If you would like to explore all the details of the hotel, you can check out its page here: Azerai La Residence, Hue.
This journey made me experience the full reality of being a solo woman traveling alone once again. The greatest advantage of traveling solo is the freedom to move entirely according to your own desires and pace. Walking across a bridge without worrying about minutes, breaking the plan on a whim to take a coffee break by the river, or treating yourself to dinner at a fine restaurant is completely up to you. You do not have to bend to the expectations of others.
Yet, on the other side of the coin lie the disadvantages and real responsibilities. In an unfamiliar geography, you have to deal with the rush of a station, tense officers, or persistent tuk-tuk drivers who won't leave you alone, all by yourself. In a moment of anxiety, there is no one else to lean back on; the responsibility of every decision, every control mechanism rests entirely on your shoulders.
And of course, there is that sweet, ironic disadvantage of this solitude: not having someone around to take your picture during your coolest moments…
At that moment, a famous term we often use in photography crossed my mind: guerrilla tactics.
Some shoots require you to be so fast and organized; you have to deliver top-level work while feeling no exhaustion at all, sometimes even forgetting to eat for hours. The high adrenaline consumes your body so much that you don't even feel the hunger. I had many such moments during live events, shooting world-famous artists who came to give concerts. You are expected to wait for hours just to capture that single, perfect frame during a five-minute window, to be published in a popular magazine. At that point, the state of your body becomes completely irrelevant; you lie on the ground like a guerrilla to find the best angle, or you find yourself on a forklift, three meters high.
Just as I was trying to capture this frame, I remembered those times in the past when I applied those guerrilla tactics. My body tensed up and warmed up as a reflex; my nervous system grew tired with an old memory. Perhaps it was just a tiny imprint left in the body from the past, who knows…
Then I took a deep breath and gently reminded myself: “You are here right now. We are not rushing anywhere, there is no hurry. Just enjoy the moment.”
Following the pleasure of the train journey, the deep essence of Hue, and the day left behind, when I returned to Da Nang, I realized that this day trip brought me a little closer to myself, and my sense of enjoying the time spent with myself grew even stronger. I had become my own friend, my own parent. While discovering the world with the excitement and curiosity of the inner child, the adult guiding that little child and keeping them safe was also the exact same person. It was me!
When you are on good terms with yourself, every corner of the world is a source of pleasure and joy.
With love,
Elif Gokce