Though in his seventies, Excellent Artist Tran Thao (Phu Xuan, Hue) has never spent a single day without nha nhac (court music). He teaches it in classrooms, passing on his craft in his small house and maintaining a nha nhac club for over three decades now. Every year, he travels to An Giang, carrying with him the “music of the past” to share with others.

On the evening of May 25, the Organizing Committee of Hue Festival 2026 held a press conference to kick off the Hue International Music Week 2026, a highlight of the Summer Festival - featuring the participation of 8 domestic and international art troupes, along with many renowned singers.

As part of Hue Festival 2026, Hue International Music Week 2026 will take place from June 13 to 18 on the riverside stage along the Huong River, in front of Quoc Hoc Hue High School for the Gifted. The event is expected to become a major highlight of the Summer Festival, bringing together artists, dance troupes, and art troupes from Vietnam and many countries around the world.

On the evening of May 18, along the bank of the Huong River - section between Thuong Bac Park and Truong Tien Bridge, the third edition of the community music program “Di mo, nghe chi?” (“Where shall we go, what shall we listen to?”) took place in a romantic atmosphere, drawing large crowds of locals and visitors.

On the afternoon of April 26th, Vietnam Haiku Poetry Club - Hue Ancient Capital branch held a gathering and poetry - music exchange to commemorate the 51st anniversary of National Reunification Day (April 30th, 1975 - April 30th, 2026). The event also included the induction of new members, contributing to the spread of verses associated with April memories and love for the homeland.

On the evening of April 16, the music show titled “Đi mô? Nghe chi?” (Where to Go? What to Listen) Episode 2 took place in the area by the poetic Huong River, attracting a great number of locals and visitors coming to enjoy performances.

At cultural festivals, exchange events, or student programs in Hue, it is not uncommon to see young people dressed in Japanese attire, moving in synchronized formations to vibrant music. They are members of Mirai Yosakoi Club, a yosakoi dance team comprised of students from the Faculty of Japanese Language & Culture, University of Foreign Languages, Hue University.

With a deep love for Trinh’s music, an ophthalmologist has devoted significant effort to analyzing and uncovering many fascinating insights about “eyes” in the lyrics of Trinh Cong Son.

“I write to you, from this island. Cuba, the island of fire, the island of passion”. The poem “From Cuba” by To Huu has stayed with me since my school days. Ever since, I have held a special affection for Cuba - a distant land possessed a beauty both nostalgic and intense, where culture, music, and history blend into a rhythm uniquely of its own…

In 2000, in the short piece entitled “Hue Diary,” written when he returned for the first Hue Festival, musician Trinh Cong Son wrote, “When you have a place to return, or to visit from time to time, you are very fortunate. There, you have a river, a mountain, and you can find again your old friends whose hair used to be black has now turned grey. You might suddenly meet a Hue girl on the street and ask her, ‘Is there anything new in Hue now?’ And immediately, or perhaps by chance, she will recite the two lines from a poem by Bui Giang: “Da thua xu Hue bay gio/ Van con nui Ngu ben bo song Huong” (“Yes, sir, Hue now/ Still has Ngu Mount by the Huong river…”)