By day, they are music teachers, bakers, or bartenders; by night, they become singers and musicians on small stages of coffee shops and community music nights. It is this very passion that helps many young people in Hue keep the flame of music alive, contributing to an accessible and vibrant live music scene.

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.

By hosting the Hue Heritage and International Music Festival 2026 - Hue Wonderverse Music Fest 2026, which is scheduled from August 30 to September 1, alongside the National Day Holiday on September 2, Hue City is expected to witness a surge in tourist arrivals. This may lead to a local ‘fully booked’ situation at certain peak times. Drawing from the experience of the last April 30 - May 1 holiday, the local tourism sector is developing plans to enhance its reception capacity and service quality.

After decades spent living almost solely in the memories of elderly artisans, Hue traditional musical notation system - the notation system tied to royal court music (Nha nhac) - is being revived and gradually digitized.

One day in mid-July, Vo Que, the poet, and the Hue City Museum of History jointly launched his publication of ‘Loi ca chau ngoc’ (tentative translation: Exquisite Lyrics). Many audience members could not help but be moved by the heartfelt devotion of a man deeply attached to Ca Hue (Hue-Singing music).

Hue Festival has established the city as a prominent destination on the international cultural map. With Wonderverse Music Fest, Hue is taking a new approach: using music, technology, and creativity to tell the story of its heritage while aiming to build a distinctive festival intellectual property (IP) that will become a signature brand for the city.

After more than three weeks, the training program on Hue-Singing (Ca Hue) performance skills for more than 180 music teachers from primary schools across Hue City, organized by the Department of Culture and Sports in coordination with the Department of Education and Training, concluded on the afternoon of July 31.

On the morning of July 31, at the Southern Women’s Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, the Tran Van Khe Scholarship Foundation held the announcement and award presentation ceremony for the 2026 Tran Van Khe Awards. Notably, the Hue Royal Traditional Arts Theatre was one of only two organizations honored in recognition of its outstanding contributions to the preservation, research, and promotion of Vietnam’s traditional music.

On the afternoon of July 23rd, Hue Festival Organizing Committee held a press conference to announce Hue Wonderverse Music Fest 2026 - International Heritage and Music Festival. The event marks the first time Hue introduces a festival designed to develop into an annual international cultural and music festival IP, contributing to the growth of the cultural industries and promoting the image of the Ancient Capital.

For the very first time, Hue City will host the Hue Wonderverse Fest 2026 - an International Music and Heritage Festival envisioned to develop into an intellectual property (IP) annual cultural and music festival of the city.