Early in the morning, in a three-bay house filled with sea air in Phuong Loc Village (Phu Vinh Commune), 73-year-old Tran Van Than, surrounded by bamboo baskets, miniature boats, and coracles, was moving his hands skillfully with thin bamboo strips. Having spent decades making a living from the sea, though his health no longer allows him to work at sea, his deep affection for his hometown’s sea lives on through every product he makes.

Deeply aware of the enduring losses left by war, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh from Vinh Loc Commune has devoted much of his time and energy to supporting victims of Agent Orange. Through his quiet acts of compassion, he has come to be regarded by those living with the lingering consequences of war as a real-life “Mr. But” - a benevolent figure in Vietnamese folklore.

On the evening of July 3, at Phung Chanh Hamlet in Vinh Loc Commune, Hue City Cooperative Alliance, in coordination with Vinh Loc Commune People's Committee, Hue City Young Entrepreneurs Association, and Co.opmart Hue, held the opening ceremony of the 2026 Product Fair of Cooperatives, Affiliated Enterprises, and Saigon Co.op in Vinh Loc.

With over 120 kilometers of coastline and a vast lagoon system bestowed by nature, Hue is home to numerous attractive seafood markets, including Phu Hau Market and Ngu My Thanh Floating Market, and Vinh Hien Market… In this issue of Hue Today Weekly, we would like to take readers to the fish market of Thuan An through a series of photos taken by Duc Quang, a reporter, offering a glimpse into the vibrant daily life of a coastal fishing community.

On the evening of May 29, at Bao Vinh Ancient Town (Hoa Chau Ward), the City People's Committee organized the launching ceremony for the Action Month for Children 2026 under the theme “Happy and safe children confidently stepping into the digital era”.

Compared to many other coastal localities, Hue’s sea possesses a distinctly unique beauty, gentle and captivating in its simplicity and softness. In recent years, that beauty has become even more alluring thanks to the new coastal road and the recently completed bridge spanning the Thuan An estuary. From there, visitors coming to Hue can begin their journey from the clear blue waters of Lang Co Bay, travel along breezy coastal roads through Vinh Thanh, Thuan An, and Hai Duong, before continuing toward the peaceful seaside area of Quang Dien.

At dawn, the coastal area of Vinh Loc Commune was already bustling with activity. On the sandy shore, groups of fishermen busily prepared for the first drag-net haul of the day. Boats returning after a night of fishing hurried back to shore. Amid this energetic rhythm of labor, many young people came to directly experience the lives of fishermen in the coastal fishing village.

The annual April 30th reunion of our middle school friends from Thanh Thuy Ward had a special highlight this year. Before heading to Vinh Thanh beach (Phu Vinh Commune), we made a detour to visit the Thuan An overpass bridge on the very day of its official technical opening. There, we shared in the joy of a large crowd of local residents who were seeing this modern bridge with their own eyes for the first time after years of waiting.

It had been a very long time before the elderly painter Tran Van Mang, from the old quarter of Bao Vinh, made a “comeback.” His paintings are much like his personality: strong, decisive, yet soft and full of emotion.

In Bao Vinh Old Town, Ms. Tran Thi Minh Phung still carefully holds her brush each day to paint on glass, just as her family has done for generations. As most of the artisans from the old days have nearly disappeared, the hands of this woman in her fifties have become a place where a craft once closely associated with the royal art of Hue is being preserved.