Hue City: Group Tour with Home Lunch, Foot Bath & Incense Village

Summary

Hue’s imperial city, incense village & home-cooked flavors in one day

You’ll wander Hue’s imperial city with a local guide, try your hand at making incense sticks in Thuy Xuan village, eat lunch at a real family home (not a tourist spot), soak your feet in fragrant herbs, sip royal tea—and maybe laugh at yourself along the way.

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest—the morning started off with me forgetting my hat in the hotel lobby. Our guide Hien just grinned and handed me a spare conical hat from the van (she said it suited me better anyway). First stop was Thien Mu Pagoda—there was this faint scent of incense and old stone when we stepped inside. The river breeze was cool, but I still managed to trip over my own feet on the steps. Hien didn’t miss a beat; she pointed out a tiny carving I’d have missed otherwise. It’s funny how these small things stick more than the big monuments sometimes.

Walking through the Hue Citadel felt like time folding in on itself—one minute we were dodging motorbikes near Dong Ba Market, next we were under those thick palace gates. There’s this echo you get in some of the empty courtyards, almost like you can hear old footsteps if you stand still long enough. At Dong Ba Market, I tried to order jackfruit in Vietnamese (Li laughed when I tried to say it—probably butchered it), and then we shared some sticky rice from a stall that honestly looked too tiny to notice unless someone pointed it out.

Lunch wasn’t at some crowded restaurant but at My Home—a real house with faded blue tiles and a garden full of lemongrass. We sat on low stools while Hien’s aunt brought out bowls of bun bo Hue and little plates of something sweet made from green beans. I burned my tongue on the soup but didn’t care. Afterward came this herbal foot bath—lemongrass, orange peel, something else sharp and earthy—and royal tea that tasted like flowers and roots all at once. My feet tingled for ages after.

The afternoon light got softer by Thuy Xuan village where people make incense sticks by hand (the colors are wild—reds so bright they almost hurt your eyes). They showed us how to roll them; mine came out lopsided but everyone clapped anyway. By Minh Mang Tomb and Khai Dinh Tomb, I was tired but weirdly peaceful—maybe it was all that tea or just being around so much history pressed into stone and trees. I still think about that last quiet walk back to the van as dusk settled in over Hue.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Explore Hue's historic sites and culture

• Visit Thien Mu Pagoda
• Tour the Imperial City
• Shop at Dong Ba Market
• Have lunch at local home
• Enjoy herbal foot bath and royal tea
• Learn to make green bean fruit cakes
• Visit Thuy Xuan incense and conical hat village
• Explore Minh Mang Tomb
• Visit Khai Dinh Tomb

Top questions

How many people are in each group tour?

The group size is limited to 12 people per tour.

Is lunch included on this Hue city group tour?

Yes, lunch is served at a local family home called My Home.

Are entrance fees or transport included?

Yes, transport by air-conditioned vehicle and entry fees are included.

What main sites do you visit during the day trip?

You visit Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Citadel, Dong Ba Market, Minh Mang Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb, and Thuy Xuan incense village.

Is there a cooking or hands-on activity?

Yes, you learn how to make fruit cakes from green beans with locals after lunch.

Do you get picked up from your hotel?

Pickup is included for guests staying centrally in Hue city.

Is this suitable for families or older travelers?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels; infants must sit on an adult’s lap.

What makes this Hue group tour different?

This tour includes lunch at a local home, herbal foot bath with royal tea, and hands-on activities not found on most other tours.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from your hotel in Hue city center, air-conditioned transport between sites plus a boat ride along the Perfume River. Entry fees are covered for all attractions visited. You’ll have lunch at My Home—a local family house—with traditional dishes and specialties of Hue. Afterward there’s an herbal foot bath with royal tea tasting before learning to make green bean fruit cakes alongside locals. Bottled water and wet tissues are provided throughout the day before returning comfortably in the evening.