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| Front page of Hue Today Weekly No. 75 |
This issue of Hue Today Weekly features a range of engaging articles, including: Breaking Free from the “Budget Tourism” Label (Huu Phuc); Naming Villages (Dinh Nam); Making Consultation and Social Criticism a Reliable Advisory Channel for Sustainable Development (Hoai Thuong); Repositioning Ca Hue (Hue-Singing) on the Huong River (Thanh Ha); An Elderly Farmer Developing Tourism from a Fairy Mulberry Garden (Vo Nhan); A Young Man Building Tourism Around A Lin Stream (Bach Chau); Energy Deficiency: Community Health at Risk (Hanh Nhi); and Hello, U17 World Cup 2026 (Dang Trinh).
This week's Forum section features an article by Dinh Nam titled “Naming Villages.”
Exactly one year after the abolition of the district level and the merger of communes under the two-tier local government model, Hue, along with localities nationwide, is implementing the reorganization of villages and residential groups. As was the case with the previous merger of communes and wards, the naming of newly merged villages and residential groups has attracted considerable public attention. Historically, naming villages or hamlets was a cultural matter. Looking back at the history of Hue, names from the past often embodied significant historical and cultural values.
Directive No. 21/CT-TTg issued by the Prime Minister requires provincial and municipal People's Committees to urgently review all villages and residential groups within their jurisdictions and complete comprehensive reorganization plans by June 10th, 2026. This deadline also marks the emergence of newly merged villages and residential groups, which will generally be larger in scale and therefore require appropriate names.
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| Page 4 of Hue Today Weekly No. 75 |
“Breaking Free from the ‘Budget Tourism’ Label” by Huu Phuc examines the issue of moving beyond the image of a low-cost destination as a necessary step toward enhancing tourism brand value and achieving sustainable development.
When people think of tourism in Hue, many visitors often regard it as an affordable destination. On social media, it is easy to find videos promoting experiences such as “Enjoying all of Hue for 100,000 VND” or traveling around the city on only a few hundred thousand dong.
The “budget” label is not necessarily a disadvantage, but it has two sides. According to Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Tram, Director of the Department of Tourism, in the aftermath of the major disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the image of Hue as an affordable destination helped stimulate demand and maintain a stable flow of visitors. However, being positioned as a “budget” destination also presents certain limitations. It can make it more difficult for businesses to invest in and develop high-quality products and services or expand premium tourism experiences. Nevertheless, shedding the budget-tourism label does not simply mean raising prices.
In the “Repositioning Ca Hue on the Huong River” article by Thanh Ha, readers will gain a deeper understanding of a musical art form that is deeply rooted in Hue’s cultural identity. The article also raises the question of how this tourism product can become one of the pillars of Hue’s nighttime economy.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, a researcher, Ca Hue performances on the Huong River officially began in 1984, combining traditional music performances with nighttime sightseeing of the former imperial capital. The program offers an elegant and contemplative experience aboard dragon boats.
Ca Hue on the Huong River has experienced difficult periods and, at times, even fell into a state of what could be described as “simplistic commercialization.” Issues that emerged included inconsistent performance quality, program scripts lacking depth, a tendency to shorten musical pieces, and the spontaneous and uncoordinated organization of services. Readers can explore these issues in greater detail in Thanh Ha’s article.