The care that Nguyen Phan’s children take of his father’s art legacy is rare and admirable. For a long time, they have been preserving his father’s paintings and sculptures, searching for his missing ones, and making them a family’s legacy to pass to their younger generations, including documents and records of his monuments and public green spaces.

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, gold apple fruits (diospyros decandra) begin turning a rich golden yellow on the branches of old trees. From markets to social media, the small fruit, woven into the childhood memories of generations, can be seen everywhere…

It is not even the end of the sixth lunar month, but I have already heard elderly men in my neighborhood enthusiastically asking one another how the upcoming Autumn offering ceremony will be organized at the village communal house, and whether the heads of the clans have made plans to meet yet. It may seem strange that amid the bustle of city life, these elderly men are passionately talking about village affairs. The village communal house is not far away either, just a few dozen meters from my house. “The city also began with villages. Preserving the roots of the village means preserving its culture for future generations. You young people should remember that,” they would tell me whenever I asked.

Many royal decrees, Han-Nom manuscripts, and cadastral records preserved in Hue have suffered gradual deterioration due to the impacts of time and climatic conditions. Restoration and conservation work has therefore become a means of safeguarding these valuable documents, allowing their historical values to continue to be passed down to future generations.

Preserving traditional crafts is about more than keeping a craft alive; it is about preserving the stories of people, culture, and values passed down through generations. By embracing fresh approaches, those who continue telling these stories are helping traditional craft villages become more relevant to contemporary life while preserving their authentic character.

The culture and way of life in the highlands possess a unique charm. This appeal comes not only from the distinct customs, cuisine, and lifestyle, but also from the unique stories of the mountains and forests preserved by ethnic minority communities, as well as their cultural identities passed down through generations.

In the familiar space of schools, tuong - a traditional stage art form once thought to be “hard to approach” for young people - is being brought to life through hands-on experiences. Through makeup sessions, lessons, and opportunities to explore and feel the values of tuong firsthand, this approach is helping younger generations grow closer to cultural heritage and creating new ways to incorporate traditional culture into schools.

Many journeys back to old Hue begin with seemingly small details. For me, it was a visit to An Thu garden house in Gia Hoi old quarter - a contemplative Hue residence nestled behind lush green trees. Mr. Vo Chanh Tien, the current caretaker, led me through the rooms while sharing the house's history and stories of generations tied to the garden and the rhythm of the old Gia Hoi. But what made me linger the longest was actually… beneath my feet.

Organized within Boi Tran Garden space on Kim Son Hill (Thuy Xuan Ward), an exhibition that gathers many generations of artists, has evoked a wide range of emotions among art lovers.

Viewed from the realities of conserving and promoting cultural heritage, successive generations at the Hue Monuments Conservation Center have continually wrestled with a question: how can heritage be more than merely “preserved”…