The Perfume River near Hue, in central Vietnam, has a length of only 30 kilometers and has two sources. The fork where these two tributaries meet is known as Bang Lang.

The of the river's name allegedly derives from the flowers from orchards along the river that in autumn fall off and are blown into the river, giving it a perfume-like fragrance. However, some sources claim that the scent comes from rain water, that passes along upstream ginger roots in the jungle, before flowing into the river.

A typical feature on the river are the dragon-boats, which all have figureheads in the form of a dragon.