Beyond the Citadel and ancient tombs, Hue is also famous in Vietnam for it’s historic garden houses. This half day excursion will teach you about these hidden gems and their legacy, as nearly all of them have direct links with the old Imperial Court. We use a cyclo to reach the garden houses of Ngoc Son, which was the former residence of the Princess Ngoc Son, daughter of Emperor Dong Khanh and lovely Tha Om Garden house.

A Hue “nha vuon” usually consists of a main and back entrance, and a small wall, rockwork and plants in the front yard and in the house itself. In the middle of the garden, a binh phong (brick wall) rises in front of the house, serving as a defence and protection of the altar in the main room of the house. The path leading around the wall from the entrance gate is lined with tea bushes or apricot trees. The typical house is made with a timber frame and roofed with brick tiles. The whole house stands on big pillars placed on a round or square stone base, which is sometimes decorated. The altar of the family’s ancestors occupies the central room. Some of the more famous garden houses of Hue are Ngoc Son which was the former residence of the Princess Ngoc Son, daughter of Emperor Dong Khanh and lovely Tha Om Garden House.

As some of the houses listed are privately owned, the itinerary is subject to change without prior notice. This tour can taken in either the morning of afternoon. Lunch or dinner can be pre-arranged at Tha Om Garden House for an additional cost.