More than three decades after UNESCO inscribed the Complex of Hue Monuments as a World Cultural Heritage Site (1993), nearly 200 structures and components have been restored, helping turn heritage into a resource for development in the new period.

Hue is a heritage city, but Hue’s cultural strength does not lie solely in its citadel, palaces, royal tombs, or historic architecture. Behind these tangible forms of heritage lies a vibrant world of music, festivals, beliefs, traditional crafts, cuisine, clothing, and folk knowledge. This is the ‘soul’ that gives Hue its distinctive identity.

From July 16 to 21, a delegation from Hue City, led by Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee Tran Huu Thuy Giang, attended the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC48) in Busan, South Korea. During the visit, the delegation also organized a series of large-scale cultural and tourism promotion events in Seoul and Busan.

As heritage cities around the world search for sustainable development models, the concept of a “living museum city” is emerging as a direction many localities aspire to. With its distinctive cultural heritage and unique identity, Hue has every potential to become a typical example of this model.

“Up to now, nearly 200 works and items within the Complex of Hue Monuments have been preserved, restored, and renovated, with a total expense of over 2.000 billion VND. This work has always strictly complied with the regulations of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, UNESCO guidelines, and the Law on Cultural Heritage of Vietnam, ensuring authenticity, integrity, and adaptability to the harsh climate conditions of the Central region of Vietnam, etc.,”. These details were shared by Hue Monuments Conservation Center to Mr. Lazare Eloundou, Director of UNESCO Cultural Heritage Center during his visit and working trip in Vietnam at the end of May.

On July 12, 2025, the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes (located in Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh provinces, and Hai Phong City) was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.

On May 22nd, during his working visit to Vietnam, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, toured several heritage sites in Hue including the Imperial Citadel, the Museum of Royal Antiquities, and An Dinh Palace to conduct a field survey and learn about the management, conservation and promotion of World Cultural Heritage values ​​in the locality.

To Co Tu people, the new rice welcoming festival plays a very important role in their cultural and religious life, highlighting their ethnic cultural characteristics, their knowledge and their outlook of life and the world. That is the conclusion by experts in the process of preparing the dossier for recognition of the new rice welcoming festival of the Co Tu people in Nam Dong, Phu Loc, Hue as national intangible cultural heritage.

Located about 20km west of Hue Imperial City, Emperor Gia Long's Mausoleum (or Thien Tho Mausoleum) is a relic of the Complex of Hue Monuments, which has been recognized by the UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Among many mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty, recognized by the UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1993, Emperor Gia Long's mausoleum is a magnificent painting of the coordination between nature and architecture; in which, nature is the main factor creating the grandeur of the architectural structure.