Culture & Heritage
The Imperial City sits inside a walled citadel and easily fills half a day on its own, with the Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, and the surrounding moat gardens as the main stops. Rent a bicycle at the entrance if walking the full grounds feels like too much in the heat.
With a second day, hire a boat along the Perfume River to reach the royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, two of the best-preserved and most architecturally distinct among the Nguyen dynasty tombs.