On February 25th, the Social Charity Committee of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, in coordination with the Youth Union of the Party Agencies of Hue City, the People’s Committee of Long Quang Commune, and the Long Quang Commune Youth Union, organized a Lunar New Year “lucky money” and gift-giving program for students of Thuong Quang Primary School.

There are people who work their entire lives quietly, yet their footprints remain deeply imprinted on the lands they have passed through, like an underground stream that silently nourishes an entire forest. Associate Professor Dr. Le Van Thang, Vice President of Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, former Director of the Institute of Resources and Environment at Hue University, and former Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Sciences, Hue University, is one such person.

No one has captured the Vietnamese sense of living away from one’s homeland better than poet Nguyen Khoa Diem when he wrote: “They carry the names of their communes and villages on every migration journey.” In the highland city on the Lang Biang Plateau, this sentiment holds true as well. Many people from Hue left their ancestral land to settle here nearly a century ago. Though four or five generations have now been born on this new land, the “Hue spirit” in these distant Hue communities has never faded.

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.

On the afternoon of February 19, at Keiser University (28 Nguyen Tri Phuong), a non-profit community event themed “Spring Awakening of Dreams: The Journey of Hue people to the World's Top 1% Universities” took place in a warm and inspiring atmosphere. The program gathered notable figures from Hue, who conquered the world's top prestigious universities, returning to engage in direct dialogue with the younger generation in their hometown.

On February 13th, Mr. Nguyen Khac Toan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Hue City Party Committee, and Chairman of the Hue City People’s Committee, conducted a field survey and inspection of inland waterway tourism routes to assess their current status, development potential, and prospects for investment in tourism products and services.

The “Compassionate Bus” program, which brings students with disadvantaged backgrounds home for Tet, has become a humanitarian activity of member institutions of Hue University, giving young people the opportunity to reunite with their families during the spring holidays.

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.

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Horse, when streets are awash in the golden hues of apricot blossoms, young people once again eagerly enter the season of photo hunting. From the Imperial Citadel, ancient pagodas, and Dong Ba Market to cafes decorated in spring colors, every street corner and every space become a backdrop for capturing beautiful moments. Tet photos not only mark the transition between the old year and the new, but also reflect the vibrant, youthful rhythm of life in the heart of the Ancient Capital.