As the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is a must-see site on a visit to Vietnam, and as the cradle of Vietnamese culture, so is Hue. The Imperial City here is host to a whole lot of history, from centuries ago to the most recent American-Vietnam War. This guide covers whether you’re going from Hanoi to Hue or Hue to Hanoi as you’ll need to know the best way to travel between these two destinations. There are several options for transport between Hanoi and Hue, but what’s the best way to go from Hanoi to Hue? And what are the options for traveling to Hue from Hanoi? Here’s our guide on how to get to Hue from Hanoi.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED AND AFFILIATE LINKS MORE INFORMATION IN OUR DISCLAIMER
#1 WAY TO TRAVEL
The Easiest Way to Go from Hanoi to Hue
The easiest way to get to Hue from Hanoi is to fly. It’s quicker, easier and it’s not expensive either. Book early for the best prices and seats.
Where is Hue
Hue is in central Vietnam and is generally understood to be the foundation of Vietnamese culture. The city of Hue lies on the River Huong, near the coast of the South China Sea. By road, Hue is 666 kilometers from Hanoi, 956 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, and 121 kilometers from Hoi An. The road from Hanoi to Hue goes mostly along the coast, and if you’re passing you’d be advised to make several stops along the way, most notably at Phong Nha National Park, which is amazing and I wrote about Phong Nha here.
Hue is also close to what used to be the Vietnam War DMZ – the zone between North and South Vietnam and if you’re here there are a host of Vietnam War sites to visit. Our guide to the best Vietnam War Sites is here. And you should also read this before leaving Hanoi, as there are some really interesting Vietnam War sites to visit in Hanoi too. Hue’s location close to the old DMZ makes it a great base for also exploring some of the specific DMZ sites, and we’ve written about DMZ sites here.
How to Go from Hanoi to Hue – Transport Options
There is an international airport in Hue, and your TLDR on getting from Hanoi to Hue is that this is the easiest way to get to Hue from Hanoi. Fly. However, we recognize that flying takes away a lot of the adventure and we only take flights when absolutely necessary (like the trip from Hanoi to Hue, which made a lot of sense to fly).
In this guide on how to go from Hanoi to Hue, we’ll cover the fastest way to travel go from Hanoi to Hue, the easiest way to go to Hue from Hanoi, and the cheapest way to get to Hue from Hanoi, as well as the most fun way to get to Hue from Hanoi. Our guide on the best things to do in Hue is here.
How to get to Hue from Hanoi
For transport from Hue to Hanoi, then you have several options. You can fly from Hanoi to Hue. You can take a direct bus from Hanoi to Hue, or you can take the train from Hanoi to Hue. You can rent a car and drive from Hanoi to Hue and you can also rent a motorbike and ride to Hue from Hanoi.
Flights from Hanoi to Hue
The fastest way to go to Hue from Hanoi is to take a direct flight. There are (depending on the season) 6-7 flights a day to Hue from Hanoi. The flight time to Hue from Hanoi is about 1 hour. You can get a flight to Hue from Hanoi for as little as US$30., but this isn’t necessarily the cheapest way to get to Hue from Hanoi, for that, keep reading. Otherwise, if you’re wanting to get to Hue from Hanoi quickly, then here are the flight details.
Four airlines fly to Hue from Hanoi they are:
- VietJetAir – check Vietjetair flights to Hue here
- Bamboo Airways – check Bamboo Airways flights to Hue here
- Jetstar Pacific – check Jetstar Pacific flights to Hue here
- Vietnam Airlines – check Vietnam Airlines flights to Hue here
Flights from Hanoi to Hue leave from Hanoi No Bai International Airport (HAN) and land at Phu Bai Airport (HUI). Flying to Hue from Hanoi is the fastest and most comfortable way to go from Hanoi to Hue.
The first flight each day from Hanoi to Hue is at around 7 am and the last flight to Hue from Hanoi is at around 735 pm. There are (depending on the season) about 7 flights a day from Hanoi to Hue. Flying to Hue tends to be cheap and is the best way to get to Hue.
- Check fares for morning flights from HAN to HUI
- Check fares for afternoon flights from Hanoi to Hue
- Check fares for evening flights to Hue from Hanoi
The Bus from Hanoi to Hue
It’s about 666 kilometers by road from Hanoi to Hue. And the bus from Hanoi to Hue is the cheapest way to go from Hanoi to Hue. There are (depending on the season) four direct buses a day that go from Hanoi to Hue. The bus to Hue from Hanoi takes about 13 hours.
The buses that run this route are sleeper buses, which are great for getting your legs up, so long as you’re not too tall. You’ll need to check in for your bus journey between 30 and 60 minutes before departure. The check-in time depends on the company and the details will be marked on your ticket. You don’t need to print a ticket for the bus from Hanoi to Hue, you can use an electronic ticket from your online bus booking from Hanoi to Hue.
This is the cheapest way to go to Hue from Hanoi
Online booking of buses to Hue from Hanoi lets you select which seats you want.
There are FIVE buses that you can book to go to Hue from Hanoi. They leave Hanoi at 5 30pm, 5 50pm, two leave at 6 pm, and the final bus from Hanoi to Hue leaves at 6 30pm.
Check availability, prices, and book seats on buses from Hanoi to Hue here.
Train from Hanoi to Hue
Taking the train to Hue from Hanoi is a great way of saving on a night’s accommodation and (probably) getting a reasonable night’s sleep. There are usually 8 trains a day from Hanoi to Hue.
The train from Hanoi to Hue takes 13 to 14 hours. There are first and second-class seats on the train, and there are also luxury tourist trains that you can book. The luxury tourist trains cost about double that of the regular trains. Even the second-class tickets, which is what we usually buy, unless we’re treating ourselves are comfortable. There are snacks and food on board and I’d recommend them.
There are 8 trains a day from Hanoi to Hue – you can check the times here. . All options have A/C. Check availability and times on Hanoi to Hue trains here.
The first train to Hue from Hanoi leaves at 6 am, and some trains run throughout the day until 10:15 pm.
Ride a Motorbike from Hanoi to Hue
When I say ride a motorbike to Hue from Hanoi, I don’t mean that’s the only place you have to go. One of the best ways to explore Vietnam is to rent a motorbike for the duration of your stay. It’s such a recognized way of traveling in Vietnam that there are lots of one-way drop-offs available. It used to be that you had to buy a bike and sell it at the other end. No more.
There’s an awesome service called Bikesbooking, where you can rent a bike or scooter. (You can even rent a bicycle if you’re wanting a lot more exercise). Put your travel dates in here and check out the rates for renting a motorbike and using a bike to explore the route between Hanoi and Hue – and the rest of Vietnam.
Map of Bus Stops and Train Stations for going from Hanoi to Hue
You can also see the full map for train stations and bus stops from Hanoi to Hue here
Key Routes to Travel in Vietnam
Want to know more about different forms of transport in Vietnam? Our guide to Vietnam transport is here. And here’s how to travel some of the popular routes around Vietnam, your options, and how we did it.
- How to go from Ho Chi Minh Airport to HCMC
- How to get to Phu Quoc from Ho Chi Minh City.
- Go from Chau Doc to Can Tho
- How to go from Hanoi Airport to the City
- How to go from Phong Nha to Hanoi
- Best way to go from Mui Ne to Dalat
- How to go from Hanoi to Hue
- Go from Hue to Ninh Binh
- Ho Chi Minh to Dalat
- How to go from Hoi An to Hue
- How to go from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cu Chi Tunnels
- How to get to Phu Quoc Island
- How to go from Hoi An to Danang
- How to go from Vietnam to Cambodia
- How to go from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh
- How to go from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc (Cambodia to Vietnam)
- How to go to Mui Ne from Ho Chi Minh City
- How to go from Hanoi to Sapa
- How to go from Nha Trang to Hoi An
- How to go from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh (Vietnam to Cambodia)
- Hoi An to Nin Binh
- Going from Ninh Binh To Hanoi
The quickest way to get from Hanoi to Hue
The quickest way to get to Hue from Hanoi is to fly. It takes about 1 hour to fly to Hue from Hanoi and you can book tickets from Hanoi to Hue here.
The easiest way to go to Hue from Hanoi
The easiest way to get from Hanoi to Hue is to fly, you can check the times of flights from Hanoi to Hue here.
The cheapest way to go from Hanoi to Hue
The cheapest way to get to Hue from Hanoi is to take a sleeper bus, as you’ll also save on a night’s accommodation – reserve your seats here.
The best way to go from Hanoi to Hue
Well, now this depends. I love traveling on trains, and so always prefer a sleeper train ticket to a sleeper bus, which never seems to be quick or the seats big enough, so I’d vote for the overnight sleeper train.
Where to Stay in Hue Vietnam
For your trip to Hue, you’ll want to be centrally located to make the most of your visit to the city. Here are our recommended picks of places to stay in Hue, Vietnam
Stay at the Melia Vin Pearl, Hue. This five-star property is in an excellent location and has a whole host of facilities that you’d associate with top hotels. There’s a spa, fitness room, indoor swimming pool, and yoga room. Rooms are gloriously and sumptuously decorated and come with a host of luxuries. You won’t want for anything while you’re here. Check room rates and availability here.
The Hue Jade Scene Hotel is our mid-range pick in Hue. It has an outdoor rooftop pool that has gorgeous views over the city. The hotel comes with all regular amenities and is sparklingly clean with super friendly staff and is priced amazingly! It’s a great location with great facilities in Hue. You can book a room here.
Our budget pick is the STOP and GO Boutique Homestay in Hue – this is an amazing facility for a homestay and we LOVE it. Rooms are simple and well decorated with great A/C and free WiFi. Stop and Go offers a luggage storage service, perfect if you’re heading off for a few days, and also has a bike rental service too. It’s great, budget-friendly, and feels like home! Book a room here now!
Travel Tips for Exploring Vietnam
- Get Travel Insurance: Civitatis includes medical expenses, repatriation, theft, luggage delays. No deductibles or upfront payments. Get a quote here.
- Get online immediately with an eSIM for Vietnam
- Download a VPN BEFORE you travel to Vietnam > discount coupon here
- Read our guide to transportation in Vietnam here.
- Prearrange your airport transfer with Welcome Pickups.
- Book the best Vietnam tours and guides on Klook or Get Your Guide
- Book Buses in Vietnam with 12goAsia
- Book accommodation in Vietnam with Booking
Final Words on How to Go from Hanoi to Hue
Traveling from Hanoi to Hue in Central Vietnam is a relatively easy journey. You have options (which is always a good thing), there are direct buses from Hanoi to Hue, there’s an option to take an overnight sleeper train or if you want to truly take to the independent road, then you have the option of motorbike rental or car rental.
ASocialNomad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, and amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
