In movies, when a person finally finds an important solution on the Internet, he usually loudly slams the lid of their laptop and stands up abruptly. I was in that mood but I didn't slam the lid, remembering that the display is one of the most vulnerable parts (too many laptops I buried in my life 😞). I just put the open laptop aside and went to eat a peanut butter sandwich with water. Hot green tea would be more appropriate (I travel with an electric kettle) but I didn't want to unpack - I was going to leave Da Nang for Hue City...

Explaining what had happened. I arrived in Da Nang 🇻🇳 from Xepon, Laos on September 12, 2024, and decided to spend all the time searching for where to go next for a long-stay, like, 30-40 days. I researched backwater cities (Kon Tum, Quang Ngai) and an off-the-beaten-path seaside resort (Quy Nhon), dreaming about street photography opportunities and cheap everything, but I didn't find enough reasons to long-stay there although (potentially) lovely hostels are available there (in Kon Tum, in Quang Ngai).

Hue City on the Google.Maps

Then, I returned to the old idea of long-staying in a nearby Hue and found out that the city is much more than just a touristy urban settlement by beautiful historical buildings. Hue is a vast city with a history, unlike most Vietnamese urban places. This is what I've learned. Inexpensive hostels are available in Hue on booking websites and and it looked to me that Hue isn't fully touristy so finding inexpensive food wouldn't be a challenge...

That's when I wanted to slam the laptop... 😄 The next morning, I headed to Hue by bus (80.000 dong / 2.5 hours). And that's what I found in the city on the first day (September 14, 2024), sharing images and thoughts.
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First about the hostel (Melody Riverside Homestay). 4$ in a good dorm, a decent breakfast included (bread, omelet, coffee, a plate of fruits). 😀 The dowdside is that I can use wifi only in the morning and afternoon - the rest of the time, internet is so slow that you rather have to say it's dead.

On September 14, I went out to have a walk in the late afternoon despite it looked that rain was coming.

I went to visit GO! hypermarket first (on the map). That's a truly heaven there! Less colorful than at An Cuu Market (image above) but you don't need to worry there - you have local prices for fruits, bread, and anything else.

I packed 2 large avocados (1.2$ / kg) and baguette (0.25$) for supper and went out to keep strolling in a random direction.

Rain was coming, I didn't want to go far and decided to meander around the hostel. And look what pretty things I found.

They indeed have historical buildings scattered in the city, not only in 1-2 touristy locations with ticket booths.

Just by the roadside.

Except temples and palaces, they also have residential houses of the older times.

Lovely arch (above) with more cute details in it:

Probably, a spirit house; there are many here like in Thailand.

Another feature that resembles Thailand is an abundance of old banyan trees with shrines.

This is not the city center but a regular residential district - quite an untouristy environment there.

People are sociable and friendly in these alleys.

I was photographing them with and without consent as always.

This woman started to discuss an unexpected foreigner with her customers and it became clear they didn't mind / wanted to pose for fun. I needed only to lift my camera and ask them with my eyes.

There are also attractions in Hue not mentioned in travel guides. Like this impressive Catholic temple:

As an Eastern-European person, I keep enjoying Western-European architecture which is exotic to me especially because I've never been to Western Europe or Latin America.

Gorgeous, isn't it?! I will come back there with a separate photo mission...

That was a lovely walk, and I have great expectations for this city. Looks like I'll stay here for a long while. 😊

I ended up in a local restaurant having "com tam sai gon" for 30.000 dong (1.2$):

Cheap, healthy, and yummy! 😊

I took these images with a Nikkor 50mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on September 14, 2024, in Hue, Vietnam.