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| Visitors pose for photos at a flower-filled spot |
With the Binh Ngo Tet drawing near, flows of residents and visitors from far and wide en route home for the holiday have made stops in Hue to admire the sights and welcome the spring. The two banks of the Perfume River are among the must-visit stops.
A stop on the way back home
“Hue is truly beautiful and poetic. Its Tet décor bears a distinctive look, both classical and contemporary,” remarked Nguyen Thuy Trang, currently living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, when she stopped in Hue on her way back to her hometown of Quang Tri for Tet.
On their journey home this year, Trang’s family stopped in various provinces and cities to tour and welcome the spring. While every locality displayed its own distinctive decorations, it was Hue that left the strongest and most lasting impression on this Quang Tri traveler. In Trang’s words, Hue’s landscape is already tranquil and poetic, and at this time it is like “a princess adorned,” glowing all the more brightly.
Beyond Trang, numerous families making their way home for Tet by car and motorbike also stop in Hue, partly to rest and partly to welcome the spring. “Hue carries an unmistakable identity of its own. Truly beautiful!” remarked Nguyen Van Long, a visitor from Ha Tinh. On his way from Da Nang to his hometown for Tet, Long said he spends several hours in Hue each year to breathe in the fresh air and take photos for remembrance. “Year after year, Hue changes and becomes more beautiful,” he confided.
To create a festive landscape for the public during the spring and Tet, Dang Ngoc Quy, Deputy Director of the Hue City Green Parks Center, said hundreds of ornamental plants, bonsai, apricot and peach blossoms have been arranged along Ly Tu Trong Park, Nguyen Dinh Chieu pedestrian street and other sites. ok Additionally, over 281,000 flowers of various types have been displayed at parks, green areas, main streets and offices.
This year’s centerpiece is the Binh Ngo Spring Festival 2026, decorated with horse mascots — representing the zodiac of the year — across an expanded space that stretches and connects both banks of the Perfume River. It is conceived as a cultural, heritage and technology experience journey, capturing the spirit of Hue City as it preserves its distinct identity while confidently radiating in the tide of a new era.
The floral street tells the story of a transforming heritage city
Specifically, the Binh Ngo Spring Festival 2026 space this year stretches to both banks of the Huong River and is structured into three key sections: Le Loi Street, the Thuong Bac Park area and Thuong Tu Gate, creating an integrated festival ensemble that harmonizes heritage, landscape and urban vitality.
The organizing board carried out well-grounded and in-depth studies of the history, social life and unique cultural values of the former imperial capital, and borrowed the year’s zodiac mascot to tell the story.
Accordingly, the horse mascot at Quoc Hoc Stele stands as the artistic centerpiece ushering in the festival space. Inspired by three galloping horses on the spring gate, it represents Happiness – Fortune – Longevity and the hope for a smooth and favorable beginning to the New Year. The gold, red and blue hues symbolize prosperity, luck and peace, combining into a brilliant display to welcome spring in the former imperial capital.
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| Horse, mascot of the Year of Binh Ngo, on south bank of the Perfume River. Photo: D. Hoang |
Meanwhile, at the section along the Perfume River opposite the Hue City People’s Committee office, the valiant twin-horse figure serves as the central accent, conveying the message of resurgence and transformation of the former imperial capital in a new period of growth. The pair represents the harmony of yin–yang and prosperity, with hues symbolizing wealth and protection as a springtime wish for peace and well-being.
On the northern bank of the Perfume River, at Thuong Bac Park, the grand scene “Ma Thuong Chi De” stands out with the image of Saint Giong’s horse rising proudly amid layers of golden clouds. Behind it is a fan-shaped fountain system operating flexibly and changing hues throughout the day. By day, the installation harmonizes with the river landscape and surrounding greenery; by night, underwater lighting and dynamic illumination create vivid visual effects, honoring the image of the soaring horse within the festive space.
According to the Organizing Committee of the Binh Ngo Spring Festival 2026, the event contributes to promoting the image of a dynamic, creative and integrated city. The design language of the miniatures has been developed through the exploration and reinterpretation of distinctive decorative materials and motifs of Hue in a harmonious and restrained overall composition. Familiar elements such as royal patterns, phap lam enamel motifs, swirling clouds, bamboo trays, court parasols, lanterns, lotus flowers and a system of native spring blossoms are used throughout, creating a seamless connection with the heritage space of the former imperial capital.
Through a unified visual language and a restrained arrangement, the decorative miniatures serve as visual guides that highlight the grand mascot displays while spreading the traditional Tet ambiance across a transforming heritage city.