No one has captured the Vietnamese sense of living away from one’s homeland better than poet Nguyen Khoa Diem when he wrote: “They carry the names of their communes and villages on every migration journey.” In the highland city on the Lang Biang Plateau, this sentiment holds true as well. Many people from Hue left their ancestral land to settle here nearly a century ago. Though four or five generations have now been born on this new land, the “Hue spirit” in these distant Hue communities has never faded.

On February 22, Hue City Police reported that they had promptly returned a lost handbag containing important documents and valuable property to a foreign tourist at Phu Bai International Airport.

On the Lantern Festival (the Full Moon of the First Lunar Month) more than 15 years ago, the most “pure Hue native” friend I know, architect Nguyen Trong Huan, and I put on thin raincoats and walked together through the light, drifting drizzle to search for Hue’s culinary specialties. Having lived in this city for many years, Huan still longed for the flavors he once tasted.

On the morning of the 6th day of the first lunar month (February 22), Thu Le Village wrestling arena (Quang Dien Commune) officially opened, attracting a large crowd of locals and visitors from neighboring provinces and cities.

After more than 10 days of activities, Hue Spring Festival of the year of the Horse 2026, themed “Identity and Integration” organized by the People’s Committee of Hue City, officially concluded on the afternoon of February 21 (the 5th day of the Lunar January) at Ly Tu Trong Park (Le Loi Street, Thuan Hoa Ward).

According to the information released by the Department of Tourism on February 22, during the 9-day Binh Ngo Lunar New Year holiday, the number of visitors to Hue increased sharply year-on-year. Especially, tourism revenue witnessed an increase of 350% compared to the previous year.

Two world heritage cities - York (the UK) and Kyoto (Japan) - have been implementing Net Zero tourism models that Hue can refer and adapt to its local context.

Ask the people of Hue what flower they love most, and most will likely answer: the apricot blossom. To put it more formally, “hoang mai” - yellow apricot, without a doubt. Don’t believe it? Come to Hue and see for yourself! There’s a whole movement called “Yellow apricot blossom in front of the entrance”; a completed research project on “Conservation and development of Hue’s yellow apricot variety (Hue’s Hoang mai)”; a scientific conference on developing Hue’s Hoang mai into a key local product, aimed at successfully realizing the project to build Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue City) into Vietnam’s yellow apricot homeland. My friend, journalist Minh Tu, even published a book called “In front of the house stands a yellow apricot tree”, which sold out instantly, was reprinted, and translated into foreign languages to great acclaim.

From pristine tea leaves rich in aroma at the foot of Bach Ma Mountain, combined with modern technology and advanced techniques, HUESTEA fresh tea extract has carefully distilled the essence of local tea to create a distinctive product that preserves the rustic flavor of Hue.

Loving heritage culture and having traveled through many regions rich in history, Dang Duy Khoa (born 2002) from the distant Mekong Delta has truly been captivated by Hue. He then decided he had to do something for Hue through his own passion and the architectural knowledge he is pursuing.