Hue is a land that bears the imprint of the southward migration and territorial expansion undertaken more than 700 years ago by the people of ancient Thuan Hoa. Very few documents reveal the timing of these migration waves or the organization and formation of Vietnamese villages in the region. Yet during fieldwork, I gained access to several ancient Han-Nom documents recording the migration, land reclamation, and establishment of villages and communes. Most notably is a cadastral record dating to the 9th year of the Dai Hoa reign (1451) under King Le Nhan Tong, compiled exactly 575 years ago.

No one has captured the Vietnamese sense of living away from one’s homeland better than poet Nguyen Khoa Diem when he wrote: “They carry the names of their communes and villages on every migration journey.” In the highland city on the Lang Biang Plateau, this sentiment holds true as well. Many people from Hue left their ancestral land to settle here nearly a century ago. Though four or five generations have now been born on this new land, the “Hue spirit” in these distant Hue communities has never faded.

From May 4 to 13, Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) is coordinating with the People's Committee of Hue City, Tourism Development Support Fund, Vietnam Airlines, and partners to organize a program introducing Vietnamese tourism, traditional craft villages, and cuisine, and connecting businesses on the occasion of the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025 in three European countries, including Italy, Switzerland, and France.

The culinary festival titled “Vietnamese Noodle Heritage - Van Cu Noodle Village” opened on the afternoon of February 18 at Van Cu Hamlet, Nam Thanh Village. This is one of the main activities to respond to the celebration of receiving the national intangible cultural heritage recognition for the “Traditional Craft - Van Cu Noodle-Making Craft”, which is scheduled to be held on February 19.

Once following a friend of mine to Hoi An (Quang Nam province), I was quite impressed with the communal house of Cam Thanh commune. From outside, the building has a bold characteristic of the image of a Vietnamese village with a row of upright areca palm trees. In particular, the structure of sturdy wooden columns and bamboo frames, and available natural materials make visitors feel close to their homeland.