Artisan of lacquer and gilding Bui Van Trinh has recently been honored with the title of Meritorious Artisan, awarded by the President, marking more than thirty-five years of dedication to preserving national cultural heritage in the field of handicrafts. Yet, for him, the greatest joy has always been the moment of contemplating a completed work, shimmering with lacquer and gold under his own hands.

The Phui (“Freestyle”) Hue Gala (Phui Hue Awards) 2025 took place on the afternoon of March 28th at Hue Industrial College. The event was jointly organized by Twin Media and Co Do Media to honor outstanding individuals and teams who contributed to the vibrant development of grassroots football in Hue City over the past year.

Combining artistic expression with refined sculpting skills, Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu, a pastry chef born in 1995, is creating vivid “blooming flowers” on each of her cakes.

Now in its fifth year, Hue has been hosting the Four Seasons Festival (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). Instead of concentrating activities within a few peak days as in the past, the Hue Four Seasons Festival is implemented under a new model, featuring a continuous series of cultural, artistic and tourism events throughout the year to honor heritage, promote tourism and create new experiences for visitors.

Within the cultural complex of Hue, if the system of palaces and royal tombs defines the face of an Imperial capital, the villages along the lagoon and coastline preserve the depth of community life. There, heritage does not lie dormant in the past but lives on in every festival season, every daily custom, and every belief tied to the natural environment. The Cau Ngu Festival of Thai Duong village, held once every three years in January at the Thuan An seaport, is precisely such a heritage - a vibrant cultural practice where community memory, maritime knowledge, and the will to survive have woven together into an enduring whole across hundreds of years.

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.

Through time-honored customs, cherished memories, and emotions are shared across generations, the Tet of the past seems to come alive once more.

Within the tranquil setting of Hue Imperial Citadel, the melodies of nha nhac (Royal Court Music) resonate slowly and steadily. This enduring musical flow quietly carries echoes of the past, along with the steadfast efforts of those who dedicate themselves each day to preserving the heritage.

Not as common as apricot blossoms or chrysanthemums, daffodils can still be found in a few homes in Hue whenever spring returns. Enthusiasts carefully trim the bulbs, change the water, and watch the buds day by day, hoping the flowers will bloom exactly at the turn of the Lunar New Year – an elaborate pastime to welcome the new year.

As “blackened teeth” have faded from daily life, the craft of making tooth-blackening powder, once closely tied to that custom, has also gradually faded away… In Hue, Mr. Dinh Bao An (63 years old, residing on Chi Lang Street) and his wife are the last keepers of the family formula for this powder, a fragment of the memories of Hue smiles in the past.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, on the evening of February 2, Hue City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hue City organized a Spring Reception to meet, congratulate, and express gratitude to diplomatic agencies, international organizations, investors, experts, and friends, who have partnered and cooperated with the locality over the past years.