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 a pure morning, I bumped into groups of visitors strolling along the path leading into Hue Imperial Citadel. Cradling her camera in both hands, Ms. Marie, a French tourist, asked the guide in a gentle voice: “May I… try on Vietnam’s traditional costume?”. That question seemed to open an unexpected journey for them, an experience that felt as if they could touch the ancient soul of Hue

Born in 1987, Pa Co man Nguyen Xuan Bay from Ra Looc village - A Soc hamlet, Hong Bac commune (now A Luoi 2 commune) came to traditional music with a pure, instinctive love. “I learned by myself, I felt for myself, and I listened the rhythms that echoed from village festivals, through the hands and breaths of the elders, then practiced on my own,” Bay shared.

After the national reunification, Thanh Thuy, Phu Bai, and Huong Thuy wards (formerly Huong Thuy Town), once purely agricultural with virtually no urban infrastructure, have undergone sweeping changes, worthy of their role as the southern growth engine of centrally governed Hue City.

Noticeable was the opening of the oil painting exhibition by Hoang Nhu Thuy An at Lieu Quan Buddhist Cultural Center. Hoang Nhu Thuy An is Hoang Nhu Bua’s pseudonym, born in 1948, originally from Cau Hai (Cao Do) in Phu Loc, Hue, but currently living in Da Lat. The special thing is that all those paintings were painted after his stroke culminating in hemiplegia. He has learnt to paint with his left hand since then.

Visiting Dam Chuon (Chuon lagoon) in Phu An Commune, Phu Vang District, Hue City at dawn, you will be astonished by the beauty of pink lotuses blossoming in the morning sunlight.

Hoang Linh, a passionate epoxy resin enthusiast, not only crafts stunning handmade products but also makes charming bracelets made from dried flowers and leaves.

In the lakes around Hue Imperial Citadel and all over the periphery of Hue City, white lotus flowers have begun to bloom, bringing the pure and brilliant beauty.

Inside the Forbidden City, Thai Binh Pavilion was once used by the king for reading books and reciting poems above the quiet surface of Ngoc Dich Lake. Visitors can leisurely sit on a boat gently surfing on the lake and enjoy the pure taste of lotus tea while admiring the palaces, fortresses, and the beauty of the royal Parasol flowers.