What's on in Hue, Vietnam through the year

Busy — Tet, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Tet

  15 Jan – 28 Feb · usuallyLunar New YearClosuresCrowded

  The citadel stays open but much of the city shuts for several days, and the royal ritual programme around the Imperial City is the one time the old ceremonies are performed in public. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Tet, Tết Nguyên đán break in Vietnam

• Season

  Dry season on the Perfume River

  15 Feb – 20 Aug · usually

  The rain stops and the tombs upriver are walkable again. By May the courtyards of the citadel have no shade worth the name and mornings are the only sensible hours.

Still on: Tet (15 Jan – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Dry season on the Perfume River (15 Feb – 20 Aug (usually))

Busy — Reunification Day break, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Reunification Day break

  28 Apr – 4 MaySchool holidaysCrowded

  The long weekend sends the whole country on the road, and Hue is a stop on the way to the central beaches. Hotel rates jump and the citadel ticket queue is at its longest. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season on the Perfume River (15 Feb – 20 Aug (usually))

Busy — Reunification Day break, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Dry season on the Perfume River (15 Feb – 20 Aug (usually)), Reunification Day break (28 Apr – 4 May)

Peak crowds — Hue Festival, Summer break in Vietnam

• Festival

  Hue Festival

  1 Jun – 15 Aug · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  The city's festival now runs year-round in four seasonal chapters; the summer chapter, 'Shining Imperial City', is the biggest, with street theatre, ao dai processions and night events inside the citadel. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season on the Perfume River (15 Feb – 20 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Hue Festival, Summer break in Vietnam

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Dry season on the Perfume River (15 Feb – 20 Aug (usually)), Hue Festival (1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Hue Festival, Summer break in Vietnam

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Dry season on the Perfume River (15 Feb – 20 Aug (usually)), Hue Festival (1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in Vietnam, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Sep – 30 Nov · usually

  Storms crossing the central coast arrive with days of warning and shut the Hai Van pass and the rail line for a day at a time. One or two a year matter here. Source ↗

• Season

  Flood season

  25 Sep – 15 Dec · usuallyRisk

  Hue is the wettest city in the country and the Perfume River comes up into the low streets most years, sometimes for days. The tombs and Thuy Bieu turn to mud long before the water reaches town.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Sep – 30 Nov (usually)), Flood season (25 Sep – 15 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Sep – 30 Nov (usually)), Flood season (25 Sep – 15 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Flood season (25 Sep – 15 Dec (usually))