Hue is a land that bears the imprint of the southward migration and territorial expansion undertaken more than 700 years ago by the people of ancient Thuan Hoa. Very few documents reveal the timing of these migration waves or the organization and formation of Vietnamese villages in the region. Yet during fieldwork, I gained access to several ancient Han-Nom documents recording the migration, land reclamation, and establishment of villages and communes. Most notably is a cadastral record dating to the 9th year of the Dai Hoa reign (1451) under King Le Nhan Tong, compiled exactly 575 years ago.

On the night of May 6th, 2024, the three romances composed by Le Tu Minh, a Hue-native musician, were played at the Auditorium of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. That was indeed a historic moment because it was the first time Vietnamese music had been played on stage at the oldest and most prestigious symphony house of Russia.