Hue Traditional Gastronomy Festival: Imperial Banquets and Folk Treats

The Hue Traditional Gastronomy Festival brings together the two main currents of the former capital’s food: the elaborate cooking of the imperial court and the humble, everyday dishes of the people.

At the festival stalls you can taste the strong, rich flavours that define Hue cuisine, and watch the artisans who carve vegetables and arrange dishes with precision.

Two distinct culinary traditions of the ancient capital

Hue’s food has long been shaped by two clearly different styles that complement each other and together give the city its identity.

Imperial court cooking was prepared for the Nguyen emperors and the royal household. It demanded strict standards, from choosing fresh ingredients to elaborate preparation. Every dish served to the king had to be pleasing to eat, balanced in its ingredients and elements, with an elegant colour and careful presentation. At the festival stalls, visitors can admire carefully carved nem cong cha phuong, imperial rice served inside a hollowed pineapple, and royal tea scented with lotus from Tinh Tam Lake.

Folk cooking in Hue is more modest and closer to daily life. It comes from the working people of the countryside and the river:

• Traditional Hue cakes: Clear banh bot loc with its filling of richly seasoned pork and shrimp, soft banh nam that melts on the tongue, banh beo served in small dishes topped with shrimp, and banh ram it, crisp underneath and chewy on top.
• Bun bo gio heo: A broth simmered with pork bones and fragrant lemongrass, with a clean taste and a distinct lemongrass and shrimp-paste aroma. It is served with pork blood, crab cake and a plate of thinly sliced banana blossom.
• Com hen and bun hen from Hen islet: Rice or vermicelli with sautéed clams, crisp pork rinds, roasted peanuts, banana blossom, herbs and a steaming clam broth.
• Hue sweet soups (che Hue): From the light lotus-seed and longan soup to the rich purple yam dessert, and the unusual che bot loc boc heo quay, which balances the sweetness of rock sugar with the crisp salt of roast pork.

Festival venue layout along the Perfume River

The festival is usually held in open, shaded parks and public spaces on the northern bank of the Perfume River, such as Thuong Bac Park, the Phu Van Lau pavilion esplanade and the Nguyen Dinh Chieu pedestrian street.

The festival grounds are divided into three clear zones:

1. Artisan demonstration area: Where craftsmen from the local food trade cook traditional bun bo, wrap leaf cakes and carve royal-style vegetables in front of visitors.
2. Open-air tasting area: Simple bamboo tables and chairs under mature trees, where you can eat while listening to ca Hue singing or traditional instruments played live.
3. Local specialties and condiments: Keepsakes that visitors like to take home, including crisp sesame brittle (me xung), dried Tinh Tam lotus seeds, shrimp paste (mam ruoc), sour shrimp paste (mam tom chua, Me Due style), and royal ginseng tea.

Practical tips for enjoying the food festival

To enjoy Hue’s festival food without overloading your palate, keep these tips in mind:

• Best time to visit: The festival is liveliest between 16:30 and 21:00. When dusk settles over the Perfume River and the lanterns light up, strolling between the food stalls in the cool breeze is especially enjoyable.
• Taste small portions: Stalls serve moderate portions, so you can try many dishes in one evening. A group of 3 to 5 people makes it easy to share.
• Choose your spice level: Hue food is known for its fiery green and bird’s eye chillies. If you cannot take much heat, ask the cook in advance to use less chilli sauce (sa te) when you order bun bo or banh canh Nam Pho.

Booking private car transfers from Da Nang

The distance from central Da Nang to the festival grounds in Hue is about 100 km, and the Hai Van tunnel expressway brings the drive down to roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes.

For visitors based in Da Nang, a round-trip private car with Sun Travel is the most convenient option. You can leave Da Nang in the early afternoon, visit the Imperial Citadel or a royal tomb, enjoy the evening food festival by the river, and return to Da Nang safely the same night.

You can also look at our private car from Da Nang to Hue, or book the one-day Hue city tour if you want complete control over your meal and sightseeing times.