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.

Hue’s elevation to a centrally-governed municipality from early 2025 has taken place in a special context: the country is undergoing a major administrative restructuring, reducing the number of provinces and cities from 63 to 34. While 52 other localities are expanding through mergers, Hue has chosen a different path - no consolidation, no expansion by aggregation, but an upgrade built on its existing identity and structural foundation.

On the evening of March 3rd (15th day of the first lunar month), at Ngo Mon Square - Hue Imperial Citadel, as part of Hue Festival 2026 and Hue Poetry Day, the Festival Organizing Committee will coordinate with Hue Monuments Conservation Centre to present the “Thi di ngon chi” (poetry is used to express aspiration/ideals) art show to the public.

In Hue, the traditional Lunar New Year “Tet” does not arrive with fanfare. It begins quietly in the kitchen, from a pot of banh tet (a cylindrical sticky rice cake with mung beans and pork) glowing over the fire, from the warm scent of ginger, from a jar of mixed pickled vegetables. Just by looking at these dishes, people in Hue know that Tet is very near.

The city has undergone a process of accumulation and infrastructure investment, transforming its urban landscape. Completed urban infrastructure projects have largely met the requirements for connecting the central urban area with satellite towns, creating momentum for the city’s socio-economic development.

Although hundreds of thousands of pages of Han - Nom documents have been saved, many others in the community are still deteriorating, damaged, or lost for various reasons. Faced with this challenge, Hue City Library is racing against time each day in the hope of collecting and restoring them for digitization, preservation, and value promotion. A piece of good news is that the long-term plan for this work, extending through 2030, has just been approved by Hue City People’s Committee.

The eastern shore of the Tam Giang Lagoon, once divided by geographical distance and infrastructural constraints, has now taken on a new look.

“It's time to look at reading in a broader manner in terms of getting knowledge and information. Reading is the event itself, helping the reader absorb new things,” said Truong Thi My Dung, chairwoman of Hue Book and Culture Club about reading for the time being.

On the first days right after the reunification, the song “Nang thang ba” (Sunlight in March) by Tran Hoan could be heard everywhere throughout the city and the countryside, “Oh darling, look up and dry your tears..." The song quickly won the hearts of Hue people.

It is the sophisticated sharp carving and the glittering lacquer layers, especially the shiny gold color, that make the relics in Hue look superb and majestic. Visitors to relics not only admire the constructions themselves but also recognize the talent and the wholeheartedness of artisans.

Taking place from August 16 to 24 at 15 Le Loi, Hue City, the 28th Northern Central region fine arts exhibition organized by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association in collaboration with the Union of Arts and Culture Associations of Thua Thien Hue is a great and meaningful activity of regional fine arts.