The initiative was spearheaded by three passionate young Hue natives, including Tran Dinh Duc Hieu, Pham Huynh Thanh Long, and Phan Hoang Trinh. Raised amid the city’s rich cultural heritage, they share a great pride in their roots and a determination to bring Hue’s cultural treasures closer to wider audiences through digital innovation. Instead of presenting heritage in conventional ways, the trio has chosen to reimagine it through a cinematic lens with the application of digital technology.
Ngu Do Long Ma
The project Ngu Do Long Ma was unveiled by the young team as a striking welcome to 2026. By choosing the Long Ma (a mythical creature symbolizing a horse transforming into a dragon) as its central character, the creators sought to convey a message of aspiration and progress for their homeland. Released at the beginning of the new year, the promotional clip titled ‘Ngu Do Long Ma’ serves as both a wish for prosperity and a creative exploration of the cultural values associated with the Long Ma motif in Hue’s royal art. Featuring fresh visuals, modern graphics, and digital effects, the production offers audiences a youthful perspective on Hue and its heritage.
To bring the project to life, Duc Hieu, Thanh Long, and Hoang Trinh carried out meticulous research, including identifying and selecting some of the most representative horse motifs in the Hue Complex of Monuments.
The narrative is woven around the transformation of materials used in traditional craftmanship: from the stone horses at Thieu Tri Mausoleum, and the bronze horses depicted on the Nine Dynastic Urns, to the wooden horses at Tu Hieu Pagoda, and the image of the Long Ma inlaid in porcelain mosaic on guarding screens, palaces, royal mausoleums, and communal houses across Hue. Each medium lends the horses a distinctive character and unique beauty.
Reflecting on the project, Pham Huynh Thanh Long said: “The greatest challenge lay in harnessing AI in a way that balanced the modernity with the preservation of Hue’s cultural essence. Applying AI to process visual materials requires extremely rigorous quality control. Every decorative motif and feature of the mythical creatures had to remain faithful to the historical originals. At the same time, AI has proved highly effective in visual effects and post-production, allowing us to significantly reduce production time compared with traditional methods”.
Phan Hoang Trinh emotionally shared: “After being released on social media, Ngu Do Long Ma received various enthusiastic responses from viewers. The feedback, especially from young audiences, was overwhelmingly positive. Many viewers were amazed to see familiar cultural symbols transformed into visually striking, cinematic imagery”.
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| By choosing the Long Ma (a mythical creature symbolizing a horse transforming into a dragon) as its central character, the creators sought to convey a message of aspiration and progress for their homeland |
Taking Hue’s heritage to the world
The success of Ngu Do Long Ma laid the groundwork for the team’s broader mission to bring Hue’s heritage closer to the public. Building on the project’s momentum, the young creators have continued to experience a new way of telling heritage stories through short-form videos, blending modern editing techniques with dynamic visual effects to better resonate with younger audiences.
One notable example is the incorporation of Hue’s cultural elements into music productions, such as the music video “Nguoi em Co Do” by Xuan Dinh K.Y and Rum. AI once again played a pivotal role, assisting the team in gathering and cross-checking information on landmarks such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Imperial Citadel, and Gia Long Mausoleum to ensure the visual accuracy and artistic authenticity of every footage. By reducing the time required for research and production, the technology enabled the team to devote more resources to content development, creating a seamless connection between contemporary music and Hue’s traditional culture.
Tran Dinh Duc Hieu shared: “For us, creating content that goes viral on social media is important, but our ultimate goal is to foster a deeper understanding among audiences. Through vivid and engaging visuals, we hope viewers can appreciate both the cultural depth and the ongoing development of Hue. More importantly, we want to inspire them to learn more about the city and experience its heritage firsthand”.
The team is currently focusing on refining its digital content production workflow by building on the experience gained from previous projects. With the support of AI in streamlining and accelerating the production process, the members plan to launch more projects that blend real-world settings with advanced visual effects.
Their long-term goal is to keep developing other signature symbols of Hue into digitally produced films with narrative depth and strong audience resonance.