Thuy Xuan is the incense village of Hue: a neighbourhood of more than a hundred households about 7 km southwest of the city centre, on the road to Tu Duc Tomb, where incense is still rolled, dyed and dried by hand. The village charges no entrance fee, and a visit takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours.
What most visitors see is the roadside display of coloured incense fans set out for photographs. The craft itself happens in the family yards behind them. This guide covers both: where to go, how the incense is made, what it costs and when the colours are at their best.
Sit down in a Thuy Xuan family yard
Roll and dye your own incense with the family that makes it, then follow it to the pagoda where it burns. Private car, licensed local guide, every fee included.
★Thuy Xuan Incense Village Half-Day TourRoll your own incense with a Thuy Xuan family, then Tu Hieu Pagoda among the pines and the lake pavilion of Tu Duc Tomb. · About 4.5 hoursSee the tour →Hue Craft Villages Full-Day TourIncense at Thuy Xuan, lunch in a Kim Long garden house, a private dragon boat down the Perfume River and woodblock prints in Sinh village. · About 8.5 hoursSee the tour →Where Thuy Xuan is and how it fits a day in Hue
The village lies along Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street in Thuy Xuan ward, in the pine hills southwest of Hue, below Vong Canh Hill. By car it is about 20 minutes from the hotels around Le Loi Street. Since the 2025 reorganisation of local government, Thuy Xuan ward also takes in the former Thuy Bieu and Thuy Bang areas, so some maps now show the address differently.
Its neighbours are what make it easy to plan: Tu Hieu Pagoda is a few minutes away through the pines, and Tu Duc Tomb is on the same road. Most visitors pass through on the way to the royal tombs; fewer stop long enough to see anything made.
| From central Hue | Distance | Time by car |
|---|---|---|
| Thuy Xuan incense yards | about 7 km | about 20 min |
| Tu Hieu Pagoda | about 1.5 km further | about 5 min |
| Tu Duc Tomb | about 1 km further | about 5 min |
How Thuy Xuan incense is made
Every stick has three parts: a core of split bamboo, a sticky binder made from the bark of the boi loi tree, and a scented powder. The bamboo comes from old stems, split thin and dried in the sun for days until it is brittle, so that the finished incense burns evenly all the way to the handle instead of snapping. Hue families are particular about incense that goes out halfway.
The scented powder is where each household differs. Agarwood incense uses powdered agarwood; cinnamon incense uses cinnamon bark; many families add their own blend of star anise, clove, cardamom or dried pomelo peel. The paste is rolled onto the bamboo by hand against a wooden board, or partly by machine in the larger workshops, then dried again.
The coloured part is the handle. Bundles of bamboo are dipped in hot dye, magenta, red or yellow, and set out to dry in round fans. That is the scene in every photograph of the village, and it exists because the sticks genuinely need the sun.
The photo stop and the working yard
Along the main road, several households arrange fans of incense into rings and flower shapes so that visitors can photograph them, and sell incense, hats and small souvenirs. Some ask for a small fee or a purchase in return. This is fair, and it is also the whole visit for most coach tours, which allow fifteen or twenty minutes.
Behind the displays are the yards where the work is done: trays of paste, stacks of undyed bamboo, and people rolling on low stools. Seeing that part means knowing whom to ask, arriving when they are working, and having someone to translate. It is also where the visit stops being a photograph and becomes something you understand.
What a visit costs
| Item | Typical cost (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Entry to the village | free |
| Photo at a display yard | free to a small tip or purchase, at the household’s discretion |
| Taxi or Grab from central Hue | about 100,000 to 130,000 VND each way |
| A bundle of incense to take home | from a few tens of thousands of VND |
| Tu Duc Tomb, if you continue | 150,000 VND (~$6) |
On our half-day incense village tour the family’s time, the tomb ticket, the car and the guide are all included, so nothing is paid at any gate.
When to go
The fans are out when it is dry and sunny, which in Hue means roughly February to August. From October to December the rain is heavy and frequent; the drying displays are often packed away and families roll under their own roofs. The work goes on, but the colour does not.
Within the day, mornings are when most families roll, and the late afternoon gives the warmest light on the fans. The weeks before Tet, the lunar new year, are the busiest of the year in the workshops.
How long to spend there
Fifteen minutes is enough for photographs. An hour lets you watch the whole process and try rolling a few sticks. Pairing the village with Tu Hieu Pagoda and Tu Duc Tomb fills a comfortable half day, which is exactly how our morning tour is built.
Want the yard, not only the display?
Both tours start with a Thuy Xuan family and an hour at their boards. The half day continues to Tu Hieu Pagoda and Tu Duc Tomb; the full day adds a second altar craft in Sinh village.
Thuy Xuan Incense Village Half-Day TourAbout 4.5 hoursSee the tour →Hue Craft Villages Full-Day TourAbout 8.5 hoursSee the tour →Questions about Thuy Xuan
How old is the Thuy Xuan incense village?
Villagers say the craft is around 700 years old, and it is often repeated in print, but written sources disagree on when it began. What is certain is that Thuy Xuan supplied incense to the Nguyen court in Hue and has been making it for generations.
Do you have to buy something?
No. The village is free to enter. At the photo displays a small purchase or tip is the polite exchange, but nobody can require it.
Can you visit without a tour?
Yes. It is a short taxi ride from central Hue and easy to find. What is harder alone is getting into a working yard and understanding what you are watching, which is what a guide adds.
Is the incense made by hand or by machine?
Both. Many households still roll by hand, and larger workshops use machines for part of the process. A good visit shows you the hand work and is honest about the rest.
Make your own incense in Thuy Xuan
Pick your tour and group size. Free cancellation up to 3 days before, and every ticket and workshop is included.
★Thuy Xuan Incense Village Half-Day TourRoll your own incense with a Thuy Xuan family, then Tu Hieu Pagoda among the pines and the lake pavilion of Tu Duc Tomb. · About 4.5 hoursfrom$44/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$115BOOK →2 guests$135BOOK →3 guests$155BOOK →4 guests$175BOOK →See the full tour page →Hue Craft Villages Full-Day TourIncense at Thuy Xuan, lunch in a Kim Long garden house, a private dragon boat down the Perfume River and woodblock prints in Sinh village. · About 8.5 hoursfrom$93/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$235BOOK →2 guests$280BOOK →3 guests$325BOOK →4 guests$370BOOK →See the full tour page →Distances, fees and village details checked in September 2026. Taxi fares vary with traffic.