On the evening of June 7, in the historically, culturally, and architecturally significant space of Kien Trung Palace, Hue International Arts Festival Week 2024 officially commenced. Hue has begun a vibrant, colorful, and musical festival season welcoming visitor from all over the world.

Eight years ago, on May 19, 2016, the heritage “Poetry and Literature on Hue Royal Architecture” (1802 - 1945) was recognized as a World Documentary Heritage in the Asia-Pacific region by the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP).

“I study garden houses as a connection between Vietnamese art and culture and a deep connection with the land and spirit of Hue. Hidden cultural features still thrive in the values and identity of Hue today,” said Professor and Landscape Architect Kimberlee Stryker (University of California, Berkeley) in her “Listening to the Gardens of Hue, Vietnam” 25 years ago.

After the complete liberation of the South, the country was unified, Thua Thien Hue remained a locality bearing many scars of war; the lives of the people were extremely difficult; many buildings, architectures were desolate and in ruins. But it is also from here that the Ancient Capital is not alone on its journey of revival from desolation and gradually developing in a sustainable manner, with the goal of striving to become a centrally-governed city with its own unique strengths.

Phuoc Tich ancient village is surrounded by the O Lau river in Phong Hoa Commune, (Phong Dien District), which is 40km north of Hue City. The village was founded in 1470, during the reign of Le Thanh Tong. With its poetic scenery, valuable architecture of ruong houses and garden houses, and unique cultural institutions, etc., the village was recognized as a national relic in 2009. Currently, the functional agencies are preparing a dossier to propose the village to be recognized as a special national relic.

Among many mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty, recognized by the UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1993, Emperor Gia Long's mausoleum is a magnificent painting of the coordination between nature and architecture; in which, nature is the main factor creating the grandeur of the architectural structure.

Kien Trung Palace stands as a significant architectural landmark in the Nguyen Dynasty's court system at the beginning of the 20th century.

Along with Kien Trung Palace, Thai Hoa Palace, a palace with the largest and most beautiful wooden architecture of Hue Imperial Citadel, has also been opened by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center to welcome visitors on the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024.

Andrea Teufel, a German conservator-restorer, has dedicated almost 20 years of her life to restoring the heritage buildings of Hue. Among the many relics she has worked on, Phung Tien Temple is the one that she researched extensively and worked hard to restore its architectural beauty.

On December 1, the Provincial Center of Information Technology (HueCIT) coordinated with the SMC Hue Co., Ltd. and the Architecture and Urban Research Institute (AURI) (South Korea) to organize the 2nd International Forum themed "Hue - Information Technology - Promoting sustainable development".