Hue is a heritage city, but Hue’s cultural strength does not lie solely in its citadel, palaces, royal tombs, or historic architecture. Behind these tangible forms of heritage lies a vibrant world of music, festivals, beliefs, traditional crafts, cuisine, clothing, and folk knowledge. This is the ‘soul’ that gives Hue its distinctive identity.

The exhibition, through the language of photography, aims to strengthen Hue City's cultural diplomacy and expand cooperation with diplomatic missions of ASEAN countries in Vietnam. It will also help promote Hue as a heritage city and a distinctive Festival City of Vietnam, as well as an attractive cultural and tourism destination in the Central region. ​

After nearly a decade of sustained cooperation with Kanto International Senior High School in Tokyo, Japan, Hai Ba Trung High School in Hue City has developed a meaningful model of international exchange. Through classroom lessons, experiential activities, charity programmes and homestays in Japan, students from both countries have not only deepened their understanding of each other’s cultures but also broadened their intercultural awareness, strengthened their appreciation of cultural identity and fostered friendship between Vietnam and Japan.

In the context of a heritage city that is gradually affirming its position as a distinctive cultural center of the country, the development of reading culture in Hue is no longer a purely promotional issue. Instead, it has become a strategic matter, closely associated with human quality, endogenous strength, and the city’s vision for sustainable development.

On the afternoon of February 19th, at Hue Monuments Conservation Center (HMCC), Mr. Franck Bolgiani, Cultural Attaché and Director of the French Institute in Hanoi, visited and held discussions with the Center to strengthen cooperation in preserving and promoting Hue’s cultural heritage.

Thua Thien Hue has preserved many craft villages and handed down many unique traditional crafts. With abundant cultural tourism resources and natural tourism assets, it can combine them with craft and traditional village tourism. This provides a foundation for the Ancient Capital to develop a tourism model that complements its strengths in cultural and heritage tourism.

With its potential and strength in tourism and distinctive cultural features, Thua Thien Hue has just been recommended by Travel+Leisure Travel Magazine (The US) as one of the must-visit destinations in Asia that travelers should not miss in their journeys in 2024.

To reach sustainable tourism development, running towards green tourism is indispensable. Thua Thien Hue has special strengths of cultural, historical, and landscape, as well as environmental resources to develop tourism; and, carrying out cooperation to develop green tourism is one of the goals.