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| The adjustment of Hue’s urban master plan to 2045, with a vision toward 2065, presenting a major opportunity for the city to redefine its development path in the new phase. Photo: Minh Anh |
Positioning Heritage at the Heart of Urban Structure
The recently presented planning review report, which was delivered by relevant authorities and consulting units, highlights notable efforts to update the contents of the current master plan.
A key highlight of the report is its thorough identification of issues that have arisen during recent urban development. From infrastructure projects and new urban zones to the growing demand for expanded service and tourism space, a range of proposed adjustments aims to ease development constraints. Prioritizing targeted, short-term revisions to address urgent needs, while preparing for overall adjustments in the future, reflects a practical approach to urban management.
However, from the perspective of a distinctive city like Hue, planning review must extend beyond purely technical urban considerations. Hue does not conform to a conventional industrial–service development model; rather, its identity and appeal are rooted in a rich system of cultural heritage, distinctive natural landscapes, and a profound cultural legacy shaped over centuries.
For that reason, adjusting Hue’s urban plan is not merely about determining what should be revised to improve its implementation. More importantly, it must address a fundamental question: How can Hue develop in line with its identity as a heritage city, a cultural city, a landscape city, and a tourism hub of national and international standing?
One aspect that warrants greater attention in the planning review process is the city’s heritage spatial structure.
Currently, Hue is home to nearly one thousand heritage sites of various types, including several special national relics, national relics, and hundreds of local-level heritage sites. In addition to the Complex of Hue Monuments - a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site - the city also features a vast network of royal mausoleums, temples, pagodas, ancestral shrines, royal residences, garden houses, ancient villages, and traditional cultural spaces stretching from the central areas to that of the riverbanks, the lagoon areas, and mountainous regions.
Hue’s heritage, therefore, is not a collection of isolated relic sites but a closely interconnected cultural-landscape ecosystem. If it is not considered as an integrated spatial structure within urban planning, there is a significant risk that new urban development will conflict with the heritage landscape.
Therefore, in the planning adjustment process, it is necessary to comprehensively review heritage core zones, buffer zones, key landscape corridors, and important visual corridors associated with the Huong River, Ngu Mountain, the system of royal mausoleums, and traditional garden house areas. Height control, construction density, and architectural form in areas adjacent to heritage sites should also be more clearly regulated.
Only when heritage is integrated as a mandatory structural layer in urban planning, it’s the time for Hue to pursue modern development while safeguarding its distinct identity.
A New Growth Momentum
Alongside heritage, culture should likewise be positioned at the heart of Hue’s urban development framework. Over the years, the city has consolidated its role as one of the country’s leading cultural centers through festivals, performing arts, heritage preservation initiatives, and hallmark events such as the Hue Festival. However, for culture to fully serve as a driver of development, more coordinated investment in cultural institutions and creative spaces is essential.
Therefore, the city’s master plan should allocate appropriate land reserves and spatial provisions for modern cultural institutions such as theaters, performing arts centers, exhibition halls, thematic museums, libraries, and creative spaces for young people.
In addition, the development of cultural and creative clusters linked to traditional crafts, design, performing arts, cuisine, and Hue’s distinctive cultural products would generate new development resources for the city. This approach also aligns with global trends in heritage cities, where culture and creativity are regarded as key drivers of the urban economy.
In addition, tourism has long been regarded as a key economic sector of Hue. However, its future development needs to be viewed within a broader spatial structure…
It can be said that the adjustment of Hue’s urban master plan to 2045, with a vision toward 2065, represents a significant opportunity for the city to redefine its development trajectory in the new phase.
Hue cannot develop by replicating the models of other cities. Its development path must be grounded in its own distinctive values: heritage, culture, landscape, and people. If urban planning is built on this foundation, Hue will not only be a well-preserved heritage city but will also emerge as a cultural, tourism, and creative hub with regional influence. This planning adjustment, therefore, is not merely a technical step in urban management, but an opportunity for Hue, as a heritage city, to truly rise in the 21st century.