On July 22nd, 2026, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Official Dispatch No. 4538/BVHTTDL-DSVH to Hue City People’s Committee, expressing its support for Hue in preparing an application to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of Gastronomy. This is an important step, providing further political and professional support for the city to concentrate resources, complete its application and work toward the 2027 selection cycle.

Among about 3,000 dishes documented nationwide, over 1,700 are believed to be prepared in Hue styles, bearing the distinctive hallmarks of the former imperial capital’s cuisine. This rich culinary heritage is one of the key reasons that Hue has chosen gastronomy as the focus of its application to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

Hue City's decision to focus on cuisine for its application to join UNESCO's Creative Cities Network is both a correct and fitting choice.

Hue has many outstanding fields to join UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). This not only promotes local cultural identity to the world but also provides an opportunity to attract tourists and investors to Hue. However, choosing which field to highlight the uniqueness of Hue when participating in UCCN is something that needs careful consideration.

The People's Committee of Hue City has recently built the dossier “Hue - A Creative City” to join the UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in the field of cuisine.

Thua Thien Hue is focusing on building itself to join UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, with a focus on promoting cultural resources and creative culture as the foundation for sustainable urban development.

Hue City is selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as one of seven cities implementing the "Creative Cities Network Development Project", within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). According to experts, this is both opportunity and challenge.

The above goal was proposed and discussed by experts at the conference "UNESCO Creative Cities Network and the ability to transform cultural resources in Hue" organized by the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts coordinated with the Institute for Development Studies of Thua Thien Hue province on the morning of September 22 in Hue city.