History And Overview
The ancient village of Phuoc Tich is in Phong Dien district, Thua Thien-Hue Province in central Vietnam, and is located about 30km- northwest of central Hue. It lies on a delta surrounded in loop formation by the O Lau River, which forms the border with Quang Tri Province. It is a beautiful village where traditional buildings can be found, scattered about, surrounded by greenery and water. In local lore, this area used to belong to the Cham Pa Kingdom, but when the daughter of the Vietnamese King Tran Nhan Tong married into the Cham Pa royal family, the Cham people agreed to share the land. Then, in the second half of the 15th century, Hoang Minh Hung relocated here with clans from Nghe An Province, and they are said to have started a ceramic industry.

Historical Architecture
A number of mieu shrines said to have been built by the Cham people are scattered around the village. All of the mieu in Phuoc Tich are small brick buildings, some with a barrier wall at the front and some without. Among the buildings inside the grounds of folk house, some stand at a different orientation to the folk houses themselves, showing that they were built before the current land plot divisions existed. Some have a yoni stone monument symbolizing a woman in front of the barrier wall. Discovering these reminders of a different culture tucked away in the village is another enjoyable aspect of Phuoc Tich.

Family Chapel
The ancestral houses where ancestors are worshipped take one of two forms: some have a building that could be called a worship hall in front of the main building, while other only have the main building. In appearance, the workshop halls are gorgeously decorated and are made to look tall by the use of a double roof, but these are all new buildings built since the 1990s. By contrast, the main buildings retain the traditional wooden style. The interiors have no room division, but towards the back wall, the founding ancestor is worshipped in the center and subsequent generations of ancestors on either side, divided into male and female ancestors. The structure of the main buildings closely resembles that of main buildings in folk house, but there are several differences. For example, there is no ceiling and the roof rafters are visible, while struts (short pillars) are placed on top of the beams.

Folk Houses
Houses occupy relatively spacious plots surrounded by green hedges, which are clipped to a height of about one meter. The grounds are liberally filled with fruit trees and other trees and shrubs of varying sizes, forming a richly green and orderly appearance. Folk houses consist of a main building with functions for entertaining guests and sleeping, and an outbuilding with functions such as a kitchen, dining room and toilets. Several of the main buildings are traditional one with a history of more than100 years.
Exterior: Main buildings of folk houses are generally built with brick walls on three sides, with a roof supported by a wooden framework. Larger traditional folk houses consist of seven ridge wise spans, six transverse spans and a tiled, hip-gabled roof structure. Normally, at least the three central spans at the front are left open. Smaller main buildings of folk houses have five ridge wise spans and a hip- gabled roof structure with three ridge wise spans. Even when subsequently modified with new exteriors, some main buildings of folk houses still retain the traditional wooden structure. Unlike ancestral houses, they usually have no roof decorations or other ornamentation, creating a simpler appearance.

Food
In Phuoc Tich, there are various types of banh made from dough of polished rice flour mixed with a little cassava flour. It may be rolled thin and steamed, of formed into different shapes, combined with boiled pork or mung bean paste, shrimp or orther ingredients; there are many different ways of cooking, seasoning and serving banh to enjoy. Some women make banh every morning and sell it at the market. Sweet banh is also made. There are also homemade celebratory cakes made from mung beans, rice flour or potatoes, with beautiful coloring from natural plants grown in gardens. Catfish, loach, shrimp and orther fresh fish are caught in the O Lau River and play a part in the villagers’ meals. Some restaurants offer seafood stews, while in ordinary homes, fish may be grilles on charcoal fires or boiled before eating. Homemade pickles and seasonings are produced for each season and sometimes sold at the market. Salads are made with figs from the gardens, while the leaves and flowers decorate the dinner table. Table and chairs are set out in richly verdant gardens, and some families have even created garden houses. The village women seem to enjoy telling of the gentle rural lifestyle and their dietary culture.

Boat
Hue, the former capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, and the present capital of the Thua Thien-Hue province is on the country's central coast, and along the Perfume River. A picturesque and tranquil place, it is a city full of canals, and is almost bisected by the River perfume. Hence, one of the most popular modes of transport used by the tourists to visit the historical sites around the city is the Hue Boat Service.
The Hue Boat Service allows tourists and visitors to make trips on the Perfume River, and takes them on excursions on the waterways of Hue. The Imperial Boats are a great way to see some of the grand locations of Hue. One can visit any tour-operator's office or any travel agent for tickets on these boats that take one on trips along the Perfume River.
The Hue Boat Service takes one on trips that cover such places as # tombs of Tu Duc, Thieu Tri, Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, Thien Mu Pagoda, Hon Chen Temple, the Citadel, the imperial palaces, and temples. The trip covering these locations takes about six hours, leaving at 8-00 am and finishing at 2-00 pm.

Cyclo
The imperial city of Hue, situated in the Thua Thien-Hue province of Vietnam attracts the greatest number of tourists flocking to Vietnam, with almost as many as 12,000 visitors in one day. These tourists love to travel all over Hue and see the various sights, availing of the local transport systems. One of these means of transportation in Hue, which is different and unique, and hence very attractive to tourists, is the Hue Cyclo Travel.
While on a Hue Cyclo Travel, the tourist gets to ride a 3-wheeled bicycle-rickshaw, which is the Cyclo. This is quite a weird transport, wherein the passenger sits in front, with the driver pedaling behind. However, the drivers are very pleasant, and regale one with tales and anecdotes as they drive, making the journey an interesting one.
Hue Cyclo Travel is probably the best way to explore Hue, and to visit its great sites. Especially the Citadel, since only bicycles, motorbikes and cyclos are allowed inside. However, it is only good if one wants to visit certain places, and not take in all the distant tombs and pagodas, as it is pretty time consuming.
Painted in red and white, the Hue Cyclo Team is orientated to provide services in a polite, honest & professional manner.  They are encouraged to speak some basic English and to use their wide local knowledge for the benefit of passengers as well as to follow the guidelines of the “Think Green Go Clean” campaign for a better environment.
Managed by this local travel agency with support from hotel and restaurants, tourists may rely on the cyclo to sight-see without being harassed or overcharged. They are offered cyclo tours with designated routes at fair published rates.
Perhaps then, with more tourists going noiseless and smokeless in cyclos, they will continue to be a familiar part of the charming heritage of Hue.

Bicycle
Getting around Hue is easy in the city itself, but many of the attractions are out of town. Having to cross the Perfume River is also a minor inconvenience because of the time it adds to getting anywhere.
Hue is one of the few cities in Vietnam where getting around by bicycle is a delight!