In Da Lay commune (Da Teh district, Lam Dong province), the new homeland of the people from Hue today, it is hard to recognize the traces of the hardships from nearly half a century ago. The most recognizable feature in this rural area that carries "Hue far away" is the distinctive Hue accent, the conical hats of the elderly women glistening as they shield their kind smiles, and the lively mornings with loc and nam cakes. We arrived at the Da Lay market in the Central Highlands and felt as if we were back in Hue, enjoying street food and chatting at a corner of Dong Ba or An Cuu markets…

More than a year after the initial land clearing and village-building efforts, a new homeland for settlers from Hue City gradually began to take shape in the southernmost reaches of Lam Dong province. Around 3,000 households with thousands of residents were starting to settle into their new lives.

After the country was reunified, the Pioneering Youth force transitioned to a new mission: overcoming the consequences of war and contributing to economic development. In response to the revolutionary call at that time, Binh Tri Thien Province and Hue City established two Pioneering Youth regiments tasked with surveying, building roads, clearing land, and constructing homes to welcome thousands of families from Hue to settle in the southern regions and establish new Hue communities far from home. Among the many resettlement programs, one new homeland for Hue people was founded nearly half a century ago: the Huong Lam New Economic Zone (NEZ), now part of Da Lay Commune, Da Huai District, in the southern part of Lam Dong Province…