Today’s travelers are no longer content with “travel for seeing”. Instead, they seek deeper experiences, more authentic connections with the places they visit. Furthermore, they also look for the unique, distinctive identity of each destination. In this context, developing tourism that “touches the authentic essence” is not merely a trend, but an inevitable requirement for enhancing competitiveness.

After five editions, the VnExpress Marathon Hue has made tangible contributions to the city’s overall development landscape. Its sixth edition (taking place from April 17 to 19) is no exception, promising to provide a strong impetus for Hue’s strategy in developing sports, tourism and socio-economic growth.

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.

As Hue undergoes a strong transformation toward a sustainable heritage - culture - tourism urban model, developing the night-time economy has become a practical necessity. The question, then, is how Hue should approach the night-time economy in a way that is both effective and civilized, while still preserving the “essence” of an Ancient Capital.

On February 13th, Mr. Nguyen Khac Toan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Hue City Party Committee, and Chairman of the Hue City People’s Committee, conducted a field survey and inspection of inland waterway tourism routes to assess their current status, development potential, and prospects for investment in tourism products and services.

Hue City People's Committee recently issued Plan No. 66/KH-UBND on February 3, 2026, regarding the implementation of the project “Developing tourism and tourism services for Hue City in 2026”. Notably, the city aims to welcome a total of approximately 7 - 7.5 million visitors in 2026, including 2.3 - 2.5 million international visitors, an increase of nearly 20% compared to 2025.

On the late afternoon of August 28, at Ly Tu Trong Park (Thuan Hoa Ward), Hue City People's Committee, in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), held the inauguration ceremony for the Smart street component of the “Developing Hue into a smart cultural and tourism city” project.

Slow travel is emerging as a popular trend among many tourists. With its rich natural landscape, deep cultural and heritage roots, traditional way of life, and the unique warmth of its people, Hue holds many advantages for developing this form of tourism. However, to truly develop slow travel, Hue still has much work to do.

Golf tourism is increasingly becoming a driving force behind high-quality travel, attracting tourists who are willing to spend, including those from international markets. Hue has shown interest in developing this form of tourism, yet much work remains to be done to achieve greater effectiveness.

The rich cultural heritage of Hue which closely ties to tradition, religion, and spiritual beliefs serves as an important foundation for the development of spiritual cultural tourism products, adding diversity to the destination and uniqueness to the visitor experience.

May 2024 is also the 15th anniversary of Lang Co Bay being honored as the world's most beautiful bay. Over the past 15 years, with its brand, Lang Co has gradually attracted a large number of tourists to visit and relax, contributing to the province's tourism development.