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| Visitors experiencing Zeng weaving in A Luoi. Photo: Ngoc Hoa |
What matters most is not how many tasks or targets the plan contains. More significantly, for the first time since becoming a centrally governed municipality, Hue has clearly articulated a new development mindset: culture is no longer viewed as a peripheral element of economic growth but has been placed at the center of the city's development strategy.
For many years, culture has often been regarded as a sector that relies on public funding and requires government support to preserve traditional values. While that perspective is not incorrect, it is no longer sufficient to meet today's development demands. Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW makes it clear that culture must become an intrinsic source of strength and a driving force for national development. For Hue, this is not merely the right direction, but almost an inevitable choice.
Objectively speaking, Hue does not possess significant advantages in heavy industry, vast agricultural plains for large-scale farming, or the status of a national financial or logistics hub. What distinguishes Hue is its heritage, culture, and people. These are the city's most valuable assets, bestowed by history.
Therefore, the plan's focus on developing cultural industries, the nighttime economy, creative tourism, creative spaces, cinema, ao-dai, cuisine, digital cultural data, and Hue-branded cultural products is entirely appropriate. It demonstrates that Hue is not only committed to preserving its cultural legacy but also determined to transform cultural values into new drivers of economic and social development.
This is the same trend that many of the world's renowned heritage cities have chosen. It is no coincidence that Kyoto, Florence, and Edinburgh have become vibrant centers of development by building on their cultural foundations. Rather than relying solely on ticket sales from heritage attractions, these cities have turned their cultural assets into resources for creativity, education, tourism, and cultural industries. Hue has every opportunity to follow a similar path.
The newly issued plan also reflects a positive shift in thinking by closely integrating heritage preservation with development. Heritage is no longer simply something to be safeguarded; it must be digitized, researched, promoted, and connected with education and tourism. Intangible cultural heritage will not only be inventoried and documented but also brought into contemporary life through new cultural products. Festivals are more than celebratory events; they should serve as powerful tools for promoting the city's brand. Ao-dai should evolve beyond a cultural symbol into a creative industry. Hue's cuisine should become not only a collection of delicious dishes but also a source of soft power and a competitive advantage for the city.
Notably, Hue has set the goal of becoming a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy, reflecting a clear vision for the future. If successful, this achievement would represent a major milestone in strengthening Hue's position on the global cultural map while opening up new opportunities for international cooperation in creative sectors.
Another noteworthy aspect of the plan is its strong emphasis on digital transformation. This is a timely and well-founded approach, as data is increasingly recognized as one of the most valuable resources of the 21st century. From digitizing heritage and building cultural databases to applying OCR technology to Han-Nom documents, creating digital replicas of heritage sites, and developing digital museums and libraries, the plan demonstrates Hue's ambition to lead the integration of cultural heritage with modern technology.
For a heritage city like Hue, this is far more than simply adopting new technologies. It is a way to extend the life and reach of its cultural heritage, allowing cultural values to transcend the limitations of space and time. Once Hue's vast heritage resources are digitized and interconnected, a student in A Luoi, a researcher in Hanoi, or a visitor in Europe will all be able to access them with just a click.
However, it must also be acknowledged that even the best-designed plan is only the starting point. Success will ultimately depend not on what is written on paper but on how effectively it is implemented.
Experience has shown that Hue has produced many carefully prepared projects, programs, and development strategies, yet implementation has not always progressed as expected. The primary obstacles have not been a lack of determination but rather constraints related to resources, investment mechanisms, administrative procedures, governance capacity, and the quality of human resources.
Therefore, the most important task following the issuance of the plan is to swiftly translate its broad strategic directions into concrete projects, each supported by adequate funding, a clear implementation roadmap, designated accountability, and measurable outcomes. Every investment in culture should generate added value for society, and every project should contribute to improving residents' quality of life while enhancing the city's competitiveness.
Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW has opened a new chapter for the development of Vietnamese culture. For Hue, it may well represent the greatest opportunity in many years to reaffirm its pioneering role as a distinctive heritage city. If this opportunity is fully embraced, Hue will not only preserve its historical treasures more effectively but also establish a new development model for the future - one built on culture as its foundation, creativity as its driving force, technology as its enabling tool, and people at its center.
That is also the path best suited for Hue as it enters a new era of development by building upon its unique strengths.