Thua Thien Hue province
Set between Quang Tri to the north and Quang Nam and Da Nang to the south, Thua Thien Hue is home to Vietnam's old imperial capital Hue and features onto the itinerary of just about every first time visitor to Vietnam.
While the province does have a host of other attractions, such as the seaside area at Thuan An, Bach Ma National Park and some hot springs, the capital, with its wealth of tombs and pagodas remains the key destination in the province. That said, one would expect a well-developed tourism infrastructure, but what we found was more of a work-in-progress -- unless you want to pay for an organised tour of course -- in which case you'll have no problems at all.
That's not to say Hue isn't worth visiting -- it is -- but those intent on seeing the sights themselves rather than on an organised trip may find things a tad frustrating.
Sights aside, the capital is a relaxed place to put your feet up for a few days -- there's no shortage of places to eat, meet and hang out with other like-minded souls.
Well connected to the rest of Vietnam by train, bus and air you'd have to be pretty determined not to end up in Hue at some stage or another of a Vietnam trip.
