After more than 10 days of activities, Hue Spring Festival of the year of the Horse 2026, themed “Identity and Integration” organized by the People’s Committee of Hue City, officially concluded on the afternoon of February 21 (the 5th day of the Lunar January) at Ly Tu Trong Park (Le Loi Street, Thuan Hoa Ward).

Ask the people of Hue what flower they love most, and most will likely answer: the apricot blossom. To put it more formally, “hoang mai” - yellow apricot, without a doubt. Don’t believe it? Come to Hue and see for yourself! There’s a whole movement called “Yellow apricot blossom in front of the entrance”; a completed research project on “Conservation and development of Hue’s yellow apricot variety (Hue’s Hoang mai)”; a scientific conference on developing Hue’s Hoang mai into a key local product, aimed at successfully realizing the project to build Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue City) into Vietnam’s yellow apricot homeland. My friend, journalist Minh Tu, even published a book called “In front of the house stands a yellow apricot tree”, which sold out instantly, was reprinted, and translated into foreign languages to great acclaim.

I visited An Dinh Palace on a warm, sunny early spring day. Not counting the respectful foreign visitors pausing before each artifact, I figured that among the more than 20 young people bustling about in ao-dai, with flowers, striking various poses for photos, few knew that they were standing very close to the remnants of a famous theater from the end of the Nguyen Dynasty that has now completely disappeared: Cuu Tu Dai.

From February 13th - 14th, in Hue, the Khoi Su Tu Tam Foundation (Kim Oanh Group), in coordination with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the city, organized its key charitable program “Gieo Xuan Season 3 2026”, along with accompanying activities such as “Happiness Sprouts” and gift presentations for disadvantaged children, patients, and members of the local Blind Association. The total budget for the series of activities was nearly 700 million VND.

Not as common as apricot blossoms or chrysanthemums, daffodils can still be found in a few homes in Hue whenever spring returns. Enthusiasts carefully trim the bulbs, change the water, and watch the buds day by day, hoping the flowers will bloom exactly at the turn of the Lunar New Year – an elaborate pastime to welcome the new year.

On the afternoon of February 10, Hue Spring Festival in the Year of the Horse 2026, themed “Identity and Integration”, officially opened at Ly Tu Trong Park along the bank of the Huong River on Le Loi Street, Thuan Hoa Ward. The event is organized by Hue City People's Committee.

“Thuan Hoa is a local publishing house, but not merely a local one, as Hue is a long-established historical and cultural center of the country and is also the one being internationally recognized. Therefore, from the very beginning, the publishing house has strived to produce works worthy of the historic land of Thuan Hoa,” Dr. Nguyen Duy To, Director of Thuan Hoa Publishing House, quoted the late journalist Hoang Tung, former Secretary of the Party Central Committee, when addressing the functions and development orientation of Thuan Hoa Publishing House at a friendly gathering marking its 45th anniversary (1981-2026), held on the morning of February 10.

On the morning of February 6, a delegation from the Ministry of Health, led by Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, visited and inspected the preparations to ensure medical services for the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026 at Hue Central Hospital. The visit aimed to comprehensively evaluate medical examination and treatment activities, emergency services, and the readiness to respond to medical situations that may arise during Tet.

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.

After nearly two years of restoration and rehabilitation of the remaining structures of Emperor Tu Duc’s Mausoleum, Minh Khiem Hall (an ancient theater) – regarded as a “precious gem” of royal court performing arts – is gradually revealing its original appearance.

The village elders and young people here appreciate and are aware of preserving traditional culture and promoting this unique art form.