The Imperial Citadel, the riverside areas, the Western Quarter, and the student areas are the four proposed models for study, aiming to tap into the potential of culture, heritage, tourism, and services while expanding Hue City’s economic development space.

For Hue, Resolution 80-NQ/TW (Res 80) opens up a vital opportunity to transform cultural and heritage potential into resources for sustainable development. However, to achieve this goal, it is necessary to fully recognize the existing “bottlenecks” in the management, preservation, and promotion of heritage values.

On October 14 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Hue City People’s Committee signed an Action plan for cooperation on the development of culture, sports, and tourism through 2030. Hue City is the first locality to sign such a cooperation plan, aiming to tap into the potential and advantages of the city as a heritage city, a Festival City, and a distinctive cultural center of Vietnam.

Hue has the potential not only to become a prominent culinary destination in Southeast Asia but also to work towards a position among Asia’s leading culinary centers. Therefore, preparing an application dossier to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of cuisine would strengthen Hue’s culinary brand name, promote its cultural values more widely, and boost tourism.

“With its advantages in geographical location, seaport infrastructure and regional connectivity, Hue City has considerable potential to develop its logistics sector,” said Do Thai Duong, Project Director of LEC Group at the Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone, in an interview with Hue Today Weekly.

Subsequent to their overall first-place finish with 27 medals at the 2026 National Championship and Youth Championship, Hue Sambo is demonstrating strong potential while opening opportunities for the Ancient Capital's sports sector to boost its achievements on Vietnam's elite sports map.

The growth model relying heavily on capital and low-cost labor is gradually showing its limitations, while science and technology, AI, semiconductors, blockchain (a decentralized digital database), and digital assets are opening up new growth opportunities. However, turning these potentials into real resources requires a shift in institutional thinking from passively managing problems as they arise to proactively creating space for development.

On the morning of September 27, the Hoa Chau Ward People’s Committee held a ceremony to launch the 2026 ‘Ru Cha - Colors of Autumn’ photo contest. The contest aims to promote Ru Cha’s ecological and cultural beauty, community life, and tourism potential.

Changes in planning, infrastructure, and development space as Hue became a centrally governed municipality are opening up more room for the real estate market. However, experts said that this potential can translate into real value only when projects link to infrastructure, user demand, and the characteristics of a heritage city.

The showcase of signature products held as part of the 2026 Vietnam - Japan Local Cooperation Forum provided additional opportunities for domestic and international businesses to learn about their partners’ needs, explore markets and identify potential areas for future cooperation.