On April 18, at Secret Affairs Institute - Tam Toa Complex (No. 33, Tong Duy Tan Street, Phu Xuan Ward), Hue Monuments Conservation Center opened the exhibition “Stories from Ancient Manuscripts.” The event responds to Hue Festival 2026 - the Summer Festival themed “The Shining Citadel” and looks ahead to Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day (April 21).

Ung Binh Thuc Gia Thi (1877 - 1961) was “a gifted talent renowned across the country, illustrious in poetry, and highly accomplished in dramatic arts”. He was an intellectual born on March 9, 1877, in Vy Da village, into a royal family of the Nguyen Dynasty.

After nearly 80 years during which only its foundational vestiges survived, Dien Can Chanh (Palace of Diligent Governance) - the central venue for major political activities of the Nguyen Dynasty - is being prepared for restoration on a rigorous scientific basis.

On the evening of March 3 (the 15th day of the first lunar month), at Ngo Mon Square – Hue Imperial Citadel, the Organizing Committee of Hue Festival and Hue Monuments Conservation Center held the art program “Thi di ngon chi” on the occasion of the 24th Vietnamese Poetry Day.

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.

In East Asian culture, horses are not merely a means of transport but a cultural symbol. In Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty, the presence of horses accompanied ceremonial processions and imperial carriages. Even today, that image endures on two bronze urns of the Nine Dynastic Urns - Huyen Dinh and Anh Dinh (the alias of Tu Duc) - like a layer of resilient metallic memory, reminding us that horses once played a role in the life of the former imperial capital.

On the morning of February 11 (December 24th in the Year of the Snake), at the courtyard of the Thai Hoa Palace (Hue Imperial Citadel), the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre organized a reenactment of the Nguyen Dynasty’s Imperial New Year court ceremony. The event attracted large numbers of local residents and visitors, helping to recreate the traditional Lunar New Year atmosphere within the historic royal court setting.

On the morning of February 10th (the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month of the Year of the Snake), under fine weather conditions, Hue Monuments Conservation Center reenacted the ceremony of setting up Neu pole (Thuong Tieu ceremony) in strict accordance with royal court rituals of the Nguyen Dynasty. The activity was part of Hue Festival 2026, attracting large numbers of locals and visitors to observe and experience the event, recreating the atmosphere of the traditional Tet holiday in the former Royal Palace.

On the morning of February 5, at the Secret Affairs Institute - Tam Toa Complex (No. 33 Tong Duy Tan Street, Phu Xuan Ward), Hue Monuments Conservation Center officially opened a thematic exhibition titled “Horses and the Long Ma in Nguyen Dynasty Royal Culture” (Long Ma: dragon-horse), offering the public a culturally rich and profound exhibition space in the early days of Lunar New Year.

At the heart of the Imperial City of Hue, the 180-year-old Co Mat Vien (Supreme council for military and major state affairs of the Nguyen Dynasty) is gradually being revitalized in a new guise. Formerly the seat of the highest decisions of the Nguyen Dynasty, the space is being shaped into a center for creativity, education, and heritage experiences for the community.