Hue is a heritage city, but Hue’s cultural strength does not lie solely in its citadel, palaces, royal tombs, or historic architecture. Behind these tangible forms of heritage lies a vibrant world of music, festivals, beliefs, traditional crafts, cuisine, clothing, and folk knowledge. This is the ‘soul’ that gives Hue its distinctive identity.

On the afternoon of August 20, at Duyet Thi Duong Theater - Hue Imperial Citadel, the City People’s Committee held a conference themed ‘The digital community pioneers together for a smart, creative, secure, safe, and prosperous Hue in the new era of development’.

Recently, a cultural event that drew significant attention from the young people in Hue was the appearance of 26-year-old singer Nguyen Viet Hoang, better known by his stage name Mono. He is the younger brother of renowned singer Son Tung M-TP. The artist came to Hue to perform and chose Hue Imperial Citadel as the venue for the official launch of his new music video, Cong Tu Van Tho (The Literary Gentleman).

On the morning of July 3, hundreds of people wearing the traditional ao-dai took part in the “Ao Dai Connecting Tourism and Heritage” event, held at the forecourt of Quoc Tu Giam historical site of Hue Imperial Citadel (on 23 Thang 8 St., Phu Xuan Ward).

For over twenty years, artist Tran Huu Nhat has quietly traveled through rivers, temples, the citadel in Hue in his journey of recreating sketches of Than Kinh Nhi Thap Canh _ the twenty beautiful landscapes of Hue mentioned in historical records of the Nguyen Dynasty.

On June 19th, at Hue Imperial Citadel, MONO, a singer, officially held a countdown event to launch his new music video, “Cong Tu Van Tho”.

On the afternoon of June 14th, the Hue’s ‘Heritage Doors’ exhibition opened at Kien Trung Palace in Hue Imperial Citadel, introducing the public to dozens of remarkable artworks inspired by the heritage of the Ancient Capital. The event is part of Hue Festival 2026 and serves as a major artistic highlight attracting art enthusiasts, visitors, and members of the creative community.

On the morning of June 5th, at Duyet Thi Duong Theater in Hue Imperial Citadel, Hue Monuments Conservation Center organized an experimental performance program titled “Practicing Huế music notation and the interpretation method,” drawing the attention of researchers, artisans, and lovers of traditional music.

On the morning of June 4th, at Thai Hoa Palace in Hue Imperial Citadel, the Nguyen Dynasty Throne, a National Treasure, was returned to public display after the completion of restoration work.

In the depth of Hue culture, gardens are not merely green zones, acting as supporting elements for architecture, but a constituent factor shaping the urban identity. Hue is famous for the Perfume River, Mount Ngu, the Citadel, royal tombs, pagodas, and noble residences, but Hue is also well known for its gardens. In Hue, gardens soften architecture, calm the everyday life, deepen poetry, and create a unique urban style: a garden city, a city of poetry, the harmony between man and nature, or “an urban poem” as said by M’Bow, former Director-General of UNESCO.