On the morning of October 13th, Hue City Women's Union held a conference to review the project titled ‘Developing Sustainable Livelihoods through Sustainable FSC Forest Management and Piloting Community-Based Tourism to Revive Traditional Cultural Practices of Ethnic Minority Communities in Phuc Loc Village, Hung Loc Commune.’

As Hue moves toward its goal of becoming a distinctive heritage city and a major cultural and tourism hub for Vietnam and Southeast Asia by 2030, external relations, particularly cultural diplomacy, are taking on a strategic role. This is what Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee Tran Huu Thuy Giang announced about how Hue can turn its cultural ‘soft power’ into a driving force for sustainable socio-economic development.

More than just a series of promotional activities showcasing one of the world’s most beautiful bays, the program “Lang Co – World Beautiful Bay 2026” reflects the local community’s aspiration to build a green, civilized, and environmentally friendly tourism destination, with local communities and indigenous values serving as the foundation for sustainable development.

On the morning of May 29, the Department of Tourism, in collaboration with the project “Hue - A plastic-reduced smart city in Central Vietnam” (TVA) project/WWF-Viet Nam, organized the event “From Check-in Green Hue to Plastic-Free Tourism - A Journey of Spreading”.

With its potential and advantages in natural resources, local culture, traditional craft villages, and agricultural and fishing livelihoods, regional zoning linked with eco-tourism and community-based tourism (CBT) development orientations will help promote sustainable tourism growth in Hue.

The City People’s Committee has issued a decision to issue the Green Tourism Criteria. The implementation of these criteria aims to concretize the orientation for sustainable, environmentally friendly tourism development, in alignment with the national green growth strategy.

As Hue undergoes a strong transformation toward a sustainable heritage - culture - tourism urban model, developing the night-time economy has become a practical necessity. The question, then, is how Hue should approach the night-time economy in a way that is both effective and civilized, while still preserving the “essence” of an Ancient Capital.

In the first two months of this year, Hue tourism attracted over 1.2 million tourist arrivals, witnessing an increase of nearly 48% year-on-year. This statistic highlights the appeal of extended holiday periods.

On the afternoon of March 12th, the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development Project in Vietnam officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two leading tourism training institutions in central Vietnam: the School of Hospitality and Tourism - Hue University and Hue Tourism College. Attending the signing ceremony was Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh.

With the aim of spreading awareness about responsible tourism for a sustainable green Hue, the Department of Tourism has collaborated with the project “Hue - Plastic Smart City in Central Vietnam”/WWF-Vietnam to launch the “Check-in green Hue” contest - Visit Hue, receive gifts, and win a Canon R50!