Often, it is not the actual accommodation that is the most important memory of a trip. It is an excellent accommodation with something else added that makes it special moments.

So when your hotel sits right next to a memorable landmark, the combination is a real winner. This is what happens to visitors who book hotels built along the river that runs through Hue. Because this river is not just any river.

Looking out from your hotel room at the moving stretch of water called ‘a silver sword standing up to the sky’ makes your trip an enchanting experience. The river is a true tourist attraction in its own right. This beautiful moving landmark not only offers a wonderful view, but also offers visitors many opportunities to explore.

The Huong River or Perfume River comes from Truong Son Mountain. There are two springs, not particularly creatively named as the left and right tributaries that meet at the Bang Lang fork and create the Perfume River. This river is 30 km long from Bang Lang to Thuan An estuary.

The river flows slowly for most of the year until tropical storm season, when the river can become a tyrant inundating large areas of the countryside and leaving everything nearby under water. Even Hue suffers from floods of up to 2m high which inundate most of the city. Anyone up for a boat ride down Main Street?

The river’s path through the countryside traverses a varied landscape past mountain peaks and green tropical vegetation. As he passes through the area, he collects flowers creating his own fragrance. Hence the name that it has rightly earned – Perfume River.

Boats decorated with dragons transport visitors to a host of interesting places that are worth a visit. The Nguyen dynasty called Hue their home. And as with emperors around the world they felt they needed beautiful tombs to preserve their legacy, of whatever order it might have been. Take a trip up the river to explore some of the historical treasures.

The view from both sides of the ship shows an interesting variety of forts, suburbs, mixed with marvelous pagodas, towers and temples. Mix sunshine into the water and it can be like a magical journey down memory lane of lives lived and cultures left behind.

When visiting Hue, look for a hotel that is situated along the Perfume River. It will make your stay memorable. There is no shortage of good ones to think about. In fact, accommodation in Hue is affordable and, in most cases, of a very good standard.