Throughout the many decades he has lived and worked both in Vietnam and abroad, Prof. Dr. Bui Duy Tam has always held a special affection for Vietnam’s traditional Ao-dai. To him, Ao-dai is not merely a beautiful garment, but one that embodies the history, identity and self-respect of a nation. On the occasion of his return to Hue and his visit to Quang Trung Primary School - where he sponsored the tailoring of five-panel Ao-dai for nearly 1.500 students, Prof. Dr. Bui Duy Tam spoke with Hue Today Weekly about his aspiration to revive Vietnam’s national dress.

After decades spent living almost solely in the memories of elderly artisans, Hue traditional musical notation system - the notation system tied to royal court music (Nha nhac) - is being revived and gradually digitized.

Amid the rapidly changing pace of modern life, in the ethnic minority communities of Hue City, traditional culture continues to be quietly revived and preserved. This is part of an ongoing effort to restore the distinctive cultural values of the Bru–Van Kieu people.

From her journey to revive the craft of making dó (poonah) paper in the raw material area in the North, Ms. Tran Hong Nhung, the founder of Zó Project, has brought the story of dó paper and beeswax to Hue through hands-on experiences. Here, the craftsmanship techniques of the Dao Tien people are introduced and tested for integration into contemporary life.

A kite originating from Hue, which has been preserved for nearly 60 years in a museum in the United States, was discovered by a Vietnamese restoration expert. Through numerous accompanying documents, together with a passion for cultural roots, that expert “told the story” about how the kite was ordered in Hue Ancient Capital, then taken all the way to the U.S., and became an artistic artifact, etc…. It was truly fascinating.

On the afternoon of May 30, Hue Central Hospital announced that it had successfully discharged its 16th cross-country heart transplant patient, notably, the first female patient to receive a cross-country heart transplant at the facility.

In parallel with the Festival, Hue has become one of the focal points for attracting, gathering, and spreading cultural values, serving as an environment and opportunity to revive and illuminate Hue’s cultural heritage.

It may seem easy to dream of a day when Gia Hoi “revives,” not only preserving its essence and cultural heritage values, but also seizing the opportunity for this ancient quarter to develop. The preservation of heritage values in this ancient quarter located east of the Hue Citadel, however, is facing many challenges and conflicts.

The heart of a 24-year-old man traveled over 600 kilometers from Hanoi to Hue, bringing life to a peer suffering from severe heart failure. This is the 14th heart transplant performed at Hue Central Hospital and the 13th heart transplant across Vietnam by the hospital.

The donated organ from a 65-year-old woman, who was relatively lightweight from Hai Duong; the time of cold ischemia during transport across Vietnam was minimized; and the need to dissect the entire heart and major blood vessels before transplantation... These challenges were overcome by the medical team at Hue Central Hospital (HCH), bringing life to a patient with end-stage heart failure.