On the morning of May 29, the Department of Tourism announced that Hue Lotus Festival 2026 will take place from June 19 to 21 under the theme “Ngu lien thuc thuy” (Royal Lotus Awakens the Water). Featuring a wide range of cultural, artistic, and culinary activities as part of Hue Festival 2026, the event is expected to become a vibrant summer attraction for both residents and visitors.

On May 28 and 29 (corresponding to the 12th and 13th days of the Lunar April), Nguyen Dinh Chieu Pedestrian Street will be transformed into a large-scale and distinctive vegetarian culinary space for the Vegetarian Food Festival - Hue Festival 2026.

Rolling up their sleeves, preparing ingredients by hand, seasoning dishes and enjoying traditional specialties, many international visitors are discovering Hue’s culinary culture in the most intimate way possible.

No longer restricted to classroom settings, screen-based cooking instruction allows teachers to share culinary skills with learners anytime and anywhere.

On the afternoon of April 10th, Hue Tourism College (under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), in coordination with Cholimex Food Joint Stock Company, organized the 7th season of the “Searching for Hue Culinary Ambassadors” contest under the theme of “Preserving and Promoting the Essence of Hue Cuisine”.

Kim Tra Ward Culinary Festival took place over 2 days, March 9 and 10, at the Exhibition House of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage “Van Cu Rice Noodle Craft” (Van Cu - Nam Thanh residential area), drawing the participation of a large number of residents and visitors.

It took a whole month of scheduling before I could meet the famous Vietnamese-American chef Kevin Tien in Washington, D.C. It’s truly fascinating that in the heart of the U.S. capital, there’s a culinary space called Moon Rabbit - where this young man quietly plants seeds of creativity to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the world and inspire the Vietnamese expatriate community.

On the Lantern Festival (the Full Moon of the First Lunar Month) more than 15 years ago, the most “pure Hue native” friend I know, architect Nguyen Trong Huan, and I put on thin raincoats and walked together through the light, drifting drizzle to search for Hue’s culinary specialties. Having lived in this city for many years, Huan still longed for the flavors he once tasted.

On the afternoon of December 25, Hue City Department of Health held a conference to review the pilot model for “Food safety market in food and beverage services business” at Tay Loc Market. This is one of the city's key traditional markets, serving not only as a food source for locals, but also as a popular destination for tourists visiting and experiencing Hue's culinary culture.

On the evening of December 18, in Hue City, a ceremony was held to officially receive the national intangible cultural heritage title for folk knowledge related to Bun Bo Hue (Hue Beef Noodle Soup), alongside the opening of the International Culinary Festival “Hue - Culinary Capital”.