For the first time, when sailboats appeared on the waters of Lang Co Bay, they brought a fresh new image to Hue’s coastal tourism. Beyond serving as a highlight in a series of events promoting the value of one of the world’s most beautiful bays, the sailing determination has also opened up new opportunities for developing modern marine sports.

When summer arrives, Hue awakes earlier, bathing itself in the sunlight that spills brilliantly across the landscape. So do life, as activities begin to stir across the countryside, coastal areas, lagoons, and the city. Each dawn sky reveals a scene of its own: expansive yet unassuming, warm, tranquil, and brimming with renewed vitality.

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 morning of May 26th, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Secretary of Hue City Party Committee, and Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee Nguyen Khac Toan led a field survey of the Tam Giang lagoon area, mangrove forests, and coastal infrastructure in the eastern part of the city to assess the potential for developing ecotourism and community-based tourism associated with conserving natural ecosystems and improving local livelihoods.

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.

“Vai nom tren cat” (Fish Trap Baskets on the Sand) or “Vai chai tren cat” (Fishing Nets on the Sand) is one of the activities staged by residents of Thuan An from the familiar movements of traditional fishing work. During every festival season in this coastal area, “Vai nom tren cat” becomes a vibrant source of spiritual and cultural enjoyment for local people and visitors alike.

On the morning of April 17, Hue City Fisheries Association officially launched a project titled “Green Fisheries - A Circular Economic Initiative Led by Women in the Fisheries Sector in Hue City” (HUEFIS). The project aims to address the challenges related to gender inequality, environmental protection, and foster the sustainable development of the fisheries sector in Hue City’s coastal and lagoon localities.

For a long time, tourism in Hue has largely relied on cultural and heritage assets, resulting in short visitor stays, relatively low spending levels, and limited value creation. As tourism trends shift strongly toward resort-based, experiential, and sports-oriented travel, developing marine tourism, especially coastal resort tourism, is not only a new direction but also a necessity for restructuring the visitor market toward higher-spending segments.

Hue is a land once at the heart of the nation’s political power, culture, and scholarship; yet, today’s Hue is not merely looking back to the past. The city is quietly preparing for a major transformation, aiming to become Asia’s leading smart coastal heritage city by 2045.

Up to now, the Museum of Nature of the Central Coastal Region has collected and is storing more than 4,500 specimens including many sets of samples of different species. Typically, geological and mineral samples, fish samples, forest wood samples, tiger, elephant, gaur samples, etc.