Monsoons force Hue to cancel night tours of royal city

By Vy An   October 16, 2017 | 08:02 pm PT
The night tours were launched in April and had become popular among tourists looking to escape the summertime heat.

The resort town of Hue in central Vietnam has temporarily stopped night tours of its former citadel due to logistical difficulties caused by the rainy season.

The night tours were launched in late April to give tourists the chance to explore the royal complex out of the sizzling summer heat between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. every night. Tickets cost the same as during the day (VND150,000) and visitors also got to see royal music performances, martial arts displays and the changing of the guards.

Figures from Hue’s Former Citadel Heritage Preservation Center said the night tours had been receiving between 4,000-9,000 visitors every day.

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last ruling dynasty, between 1802 and 1945.

The citadel as well as the royal tombs that dot the city’s outskirts helped draw more than three million tourists to Thua Thien-Hue Province last year. The province aims to draw 3.5 million visitors this year and more than five million in 2020.

A reopening date for the tours has not been announced.

In September, the city made another attempt to spice up its nightlife by opening weekend walking streets where people can enjoy music, street food and carnival games.

 
 
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