Brilliant lotus flowers in early summer

While the morning mist still lingers over the streets, Hue’s flower market is already awake before dawn. At the market along Ngo Kha Street in Phu Xuan Ward, near the wholesale market, warm yellow lights spill over bundles of flowers still in bud. The sharp revving of motorbikes, vendors calling out to one another, and brisk bargaining create a unique rhythm of the final days of the lunar year.

As Lunar New Year is coming to town, public spaces throughout the heart of Hue City are slowly turning into spring destinations for both residents and visitors. These days, Hue Green Parks Center is putting the finishing touches on its preparations, bringing fresh and vibrant spring colors to the city’s public spaces.

From her journey to revive the craft of making dó (poonah) paper in the raw material area in the North, Ms. Tran Hong Nhung, the founder of Zó Project, has brought the story of dó paper and beeswax to Hue through hands-on experiences. Here, the craftsmanship techniques of the Dao Tien people are introduced and tested for integration into contemporary life.

People say that after days submerged in floodwater, when the water recedes, the ground is left with a dull, gloomy gray. Yet it is within that muted palette that the resilient life force of nature begins to sprout - taking root, greening again, and stirring with new vitality through the caring hands of the city’s green-park workers.

In the article “Pho Loi River through the Nguyen Dynasty’s Woodblock”, the author Thom Quang cited a historical information: “In Dai Nam thuc luc woodblock No. 154, the carved page 2 recorded that in the year At Mui of Lunar Calendar (1835), Emperor Minh Mang issued an edict for Thua Thien Hue Province to dig Pho Loi River”. Pho Loi River stretches along the route from Hue, starting from the point where it meets the Huong River and then flowing out to Thuan An seaport.