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| Students visiting and exploring Ho Chi Minh Memorial House in Duong No Village |
This is one of the key highlights after nearly five years of implementing the project “Promoting the Value of President Ho Chi Minh Heritage Sites in Hue City for Tourism Development” for the 2021-2025 period.
Following President Ho Chi Minh’s childhood footsteps in Hue
Launched in mid-2021, the project focuses on assessing the current status of the museum system and memorial sites dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Hue. Throughout its implementation, Ho Chi Minh Museum of Hue City has collaborated with travel agencies to develop the tour “Following President Ho Chi Minh’s Childhood Footsteps in Hue”. This tour highlights heritage sites within the system of memorial sites dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Hue, such as Ho Chi Minh Memorial House on Mai Thuc Loan Street, Ho Chi Minh Memorial House in Duong No Village, Duong No Village Communal House, and Quoc Hoc School. After some time in operation, the tour has received strong interest from tourism and travel companies, which frequently bring tour groups to the museum and the associated heritage sites.
According to Mrs. Le Thuy Chi, Director of Ho Chi Minh Museum of Hue City, one notable highlight of the project during its implementation is the development of an automatic narration system featuring multiple layers of information, from general introductions to topics, headings, collections, and notable artifacts, organized into categories suitable for visitors’ touring time. Based on QR code scanning technology, it allows visitors to easily access and interact with a simple, visually appealing, and easy-to-understand interface.
Mr. Bui Van Chinh - Deputy Director of May Ngoc Travel Co., Ltd., one of the tour operators involved believes that Hue possesses invaluable cultural and heritage assets, including the system of heritage sites connected to President Ho Chi Minh. Tours to these sites are among the most unique, helping educate people of all ages, particularly young people, about patriotic traditions.
However, from the perspective of a tourism professional, Mr. Chinh notes that the tour is still limited to the local area and has not yet expanded or spread to other provinces. Therefore, he suggests enhancing coordination and promotion to reach a wider audience.
Toward a “Ho Chi Minh cultural space”
Discussing the tour of heritage sites related to President Ho Chi Minh, Mr.Tran Quang Dung, Vice Chairman of Duong No Ward People’s Committee - the locality home to two nationally significant special relics, Duong No Village Communal House and Ho Chi Minh Memorial House - acknowledged that the ward has received attention from various levels and sectors in preserving and promoting the value of these sites. However, the challenge lies in the lack of synchronized infrastructure connecting the relic sites within the ward, which limits the ability to accommodate large tour groups. In addition, the tour has not yet been connected with cruises on the Perfume River that visit craft villages along with Ho Chi Minh heritage sites. The locality is ready to coordinate with relevant departments and units to develop long-term directions for these tours.
Despite many achievements, Ms. Le Thuy Chi admitted that the project still faces numerous difficulties, as several heritage sites related to President Ho Chi Minh in Hue are located within residential areas, making it difficult to expand space and improve the surrounding landscape. Tours and routes linked to Ho Chi Minh heritage sites still lack inter-regional connections and have not been included in regional or national tourism promotion programs. Certain regulations on the management and exploitation of heritage sites are not fully unified, while the mechanisms to encourage socialization and attract off-budget resources are not yet strong enough to motivate businesses and communities to participate.
Mr. Nguyen Thien Binh, Deputy Director of Hue City Department of Culture and Sports, stated that based on nearly five years of implementing the project, the department will propose that Hue City People’s Committee continue developing the project for the 2025 - 2026 period. This next phase will continue focusing on the preservation, restoration, and improvement of the commemorative heritage sites of President Ho Chi Minh in Hue. It will also gradually develop an expanded “Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space”, linking relic sites, cultural institutions, schools, and tourist attractions across the city to form a vibrant heritage complex with long-lasting influence within the community.
Mr. Binh also emphasized the need to strengthen socialization efforts and mobilize resources for heritage development. This would encourage businesses, organizations, and individuals both inside and outside the city to invest, sponsor, and support restoration work, exhibitions, events, and the development of souvenir products. Alongside these efforts, it is necessary to build a network of collaborators and work closely with travel agencies, tourism associations, accommodation providers, and schools to introduce and connect tours and routes to the heritage system.