Hue welcomes back first group of foreign tourists in two years

Tran Huu Thuy Giang, director of the provincial Department of Tourism, said this was the first group of international visitors returning to Hue after a long time of inbound tourism closure due to the pandemic.

The tourists visited the UNESCO heritage site Imperial Citadel, which witnessed the rise and fall of Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last ruling royal family, and watched an art performance at Hue Royal Antiquities Museum.

They plan to visit royal tombs of Kings Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, An Dinh Palace, the birthplace of Vietnam’s last emperor Bao Dai, and Thien Mu Pagoda.

Vietnam fully reopened its borders last Tuesday after nearly two years of closure. It has resumed its visa exemption policy for citizens from 24 countries, including ASEAN members, Japan, South Korea and several European economies.

Hue is home to royal tombs, ancient palaces and pagodas that attracted millions of foreign visitors every year before the pandemic.