Along the Perfume River

After a visit in 1981, the then Director General of UNESCO proclaimed Hue to be "a masterpiece of urban poetry". Famous for school girls in their white Áo Dài - Vietnamese national dress, and Nón Bài Tho - a conical straw hat hiding a secret poem, to the Vietnamese, Hue has ever been synonymous with romance and all that's beautiful.

Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. Today the majestic Perfume River meanders past the remains of the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City, as well as the tombs of several former emperors.

The stunning Tu Duc Mausoleum with its triple arched gateways, lotus filled ponds and pavilions, reflects perhaps the somewhat whimsical character of its host. Emperor Tu Duc was by all accounts a self-absorbed and romantic ruler, preferring to hide away amongst the tranquil gardens and pine trees of the Imperial grounds.

He also apparently partook of a delicately fragrant tea made from the dew of lotus blossoms and penned no less than four thousand poems, perhaps to amuse his one hundred wives and harem of concubines.

Harems and wives notwithstanding, Tu Duc’s tomb is just one impressive relic of Hué’s Imperial past to be found along the Perfume River.

Discover the ancient tombs, pagodas and forbidden citadels of Hué and the quaint, old town of Hoi An in this 5-day Hoi An & the Last Imperial Citadel tour.

An Eastern Promise

The traditional wedding gown in China is not white but bright red, which symbolizes luck for the new couple, and you can expect lots of noisy firecrackers at the wedding to scare off evil spirits.

In Japan, purple is the color of love. A young bride may choose to wear a silk kimono covered in purple iris-flowers on her big day.

If you think you’ve got seating problems take heart: In Indonesia it is not uncommon for more than 1,000 guests to be invited to the wedding reception and it is customary for the bride and the groom to greet each guest in a long receiving line before festivities can begin!

A fortune-teller, known as a kung-hap, traditionally looks into a couple’s future in Korea before they are married. A harmonious union is important as gifts alone for a traditional Korean wedding can cost upwards of $40,000.

An early Filipino custom required the groom to throw a spear into the front steps of his intended-bride’s home as a dramatic statement to everyone that she had been spoken for, though nowadays a gold band will usually suffice.

Carefully observing traditional customs is an important facet of marriage worldwide – Some even say it can be a matter of wife or death!

And after the rice and spears are thrown, what better way to celebrate together, than on a Perfect Thai Honeymoon for two blissful weeks?

Lazy Love in Luang Prabang

"Luang Prabang is in reality a love, a dream, a poetry of naive sensuality which unfolds under the foliage of this perfumed forest". So penned Marte Bassene in his 1909 Laos travelogue, and a century later surprisingly little about this picturesque idyll has changed. Indeed, after their initial survey, UNESCO proclaimed Luang Prabang to be the "best preserved city in South East Asia."

But nestled at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers and encircled by green mountains, Luang Prabang is also one of the most enchanting cities in the region and a destination that seems custom tailored for romance.

A leisurely stroll through Luang Prabang feels like a walk through history. Crumbling colonial architecture gives way to ancient Buddhist temples and monasteries; towering palm and banana trees shade the dirt lanes; novice monks in saffron robes pad down narrow alleyways and simple, narrow cargo boats drift up the Mekong.

Passing lazy mornings in the faded, but still splendid, colonial hotels is a wonderful luxury, but I dragged myself out of bed to witness the sacred ‘takbat’. This early morning spectacle involves food offering to hundreds of orange-wrapped monks who stream out the cities temples in a stunning sea of saffron.

Food is an important aphrodisiac and Luang Prabang is packed with fantastic restaurants. Several excellent French bistros serve quality wines (so often a rarity in Asia!), and what better way to end a dreamy day than a candle-lit dinner and shared sunset over the Mekong.

Experience the magical romance of this forgotten city with our Romantic Walk Through Luang Prabang tour.