Hoang Trinh Phan’s passion lies in her role as a “digital content creator” - a profession increasingly appealing to today’s youth. With her gentle Hue accent that touches the heart, combined with carefully curated and engaging information, she has helped spread awareness and understanding of heritage to the community, allowing many to better appreciate and love Hue’s cultural legacy.
To gain the knowledge needed to narrate and introduce Hue’s heritage, Hoang Trinh Phan has had to read extensively and even sought out rare books on Hue. Many aged heritage sites and seemingly familiar stories, when explained by her, reveal their origins and deeper meanings, helping people truly understand the roots of each location and story in Hue.
For example, every Hue local has heard the nursery rhyme: “Chi chi chành chành (Things are clear that…) / Cái đanh thổi lửa (The pipe sparks fire) / Con ngựa đứt cương (The horse reign was broken) / Ba vương tập đế (Three emperors took turns to ascend the throne) / Bắt dế đi tìm (Let go catch the Cricket / Ù à ù ập (Got it, got it).” But when Hoang Trinh Phan “decodes” it, people learn that this rhyme contains subtle references to a turbulent historical period in the late 19th century, the “four months, three emperors” period of the Nguyen Dynasty in Hue.
Not only Hoang Trinh Phan (born in 2001) but also a young man named Duc Hoang has chosen to become a “storyteller of history” at the Imperial Capital’s relics. Born in 2000, Hoang did not choose the tour guide profession for stability, but out of a fear that visitors would miss the true beauty of Hue. With deep knowledge of history and culture, he not only guides but breathes life into each landmark, making the old stories resonate in the hearts of his listeners.
“Through Hoang’s voice, Hue is not just relics, but a living being with memory, emotions, and a soul,” a tourist shared emotionally.
Hoang Trinh Phan, Duc Hoang, and many other young people are voluntarily becoming ambassadors of heritage, driven entirely by love. Their youthful energy, dynamism, and passion for cultural heritage on social media inspire not only the younger generation but also older generations to trust and admire this “Gen Z” group, who are preserving the soul of their homeland and nation.