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Hué top 10

• Imperial City
  It always rains when I visit the Imperial City, but even so the place packs a powerful punch. The ravages of time and war are slowly but surely being effaced, though you'll still find the odd bit of bullet-pocked masonry. Elsewhere, the beautifully restored pavilions gleam once more under a coating of rich red lacquer and writhing dragons.
  
  
• Mausoleum of Tu Duc
  Of Hué's seven royal mausoleums, this is the finest. Rather than dealing with affairs of state, Tu Duc preferred to hide in his lyrical pleasure garden, composing poems, drinking lotus blossom tea and being entertained by his 104 wives and countless concubines. A busy man!
  
  
• Mausoleum of Khai Dinh
  Khai Dinh had very different ideas. His grandiose tomb is a mix of French Baroque, Sino-Vietnamese and even Cham architecture. Inside it's a riot of glass and porcelain mosaics, presided over by a life-size statue of the former emperor fashioned in gilded bronze.
  
  
• Thien Mu Pagoda
  This graceful pagoda sits on a promontory above the Perfume River. Though a peaceful spot now, it was from here that the monk Tich Quang Duc set off for Saigon in 1963 to protest against President Diem's regime and burnt himself to death. His powder-blue Austin was brought back to the pagoda and is now on display.
  
  
• Hué folk songs on the Perfume River
  There's no better way to spend a balmy Hué evening than drifting gently down the Perfume River to the sound of traditional folk songs.
  
  
• Royal Arena
  Up until 1904 this small, brick arena, now largely overgrown, was where the emperors came to watch elephants pitted against tigers. The elephants - representing the mighty emperor - always won. Nearby there's a small temple dedicated to the elephants' souls.
  
  
• Museum of Contemporary Art
  A restored colonial villa makes a great venue for the chunky sculptures of Diem Phung Thi, one of Vietnam's foremost artists.
  
  
• Provincial Museum
  This small museum is best for its coverage of wartime Hué, including Buddhist anti-war demonstrations and the siege of 1968.
  
  
• Hon Chen Temple
  Dedicated to the divine protectress Y A Na, shady Hon Chen Temple can only be reached by river. Its most interesting building is Hue Nam, where you can climb up behind the altar to the inner sanctuary.
  
  
• Chua Ong
  Chua Ong is the most interesting of Hué's Chinese Assembly Halls. It was built by Fukien immigrants and is, unusually, dedicated to a group of doctors who are credited with curing a cholera epidemic.