After more than 10 days of activities, Hue Spring Festival of the year of the Horse 2026, themed “Identity and Integration” organized by the People’s Committee of Hue City, officially concluded on the afternoon of February 21 (the 5th day of the Lunar January) at Ly Tu Trong Park (Le Loi Street, Thuan Hoa Ward).

Ask the people of Hue what flower they love most, and most will likely answer: the apricot blossom. To put it more formally, “hoang mai” - yellow apricot, without a doubt. Don’t believe it? Come to Hue and see for yourself! There’s a whole movement called “Yellow apricot blossom in front of the entrance”; a completed research project on “Conservation and development of Hue’s yellow apricot variety (Hue’s Hoang mai)”; a scientific conference on developing Hue’s Hoang mai into a key local product, aimed at successfully realizing the project to build Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue City) into Vietnam’s yellow apricot homeland. My friend, journalist Minh Tu, even published a book called “In front of the house stands a yellow apricot tree”, which sold out instantly, was reprinted, and translated into foreign languages to great acclaim.

I visited An Dinh Palace on a warm, sunny early spring day. Not counting the respectful foreign visitors pausing before each artifact, I figured that among the more than 20 young people bustling about in ao-dai, with flowers, striking various poses for photos, few knew that they were standing very close to the remnants of a famous theater from the end of the Nguyen Dynasty that has now completely disappeared: Cuu Tu Dai.

On the afternoon of February 10, Hue Spring Festival in the Year of the Horse 2026, themed “Identity and Integration”, officially opened at Ly Tu Trong Park along the bank of the Huong River on Le Loi Street, Thuan Hoa Ward. The event is organized by Hue City People's Committee.

On the afternoon of December 22, a delegation from the Ministry of Construction, led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van, had an official meeting with Hue City People’s Committee on the implementation of smart city development in the city area.

Within the framework of Vietnam - Laos special friendship cooperation program (from October 22-26), a delegation from Hue City People's Council, led by Mr. Nguyen Quang Tuan, Member of the Standing Committee of Hue City Party Committee, and Permanent Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Council, visited, worked and held talks with the Standing Committee of the Salavan Provincial People's Council, Lao People's Democratic Republic.

In his latest speech, Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Head of Hue City Forest Protection Department informed that the City People’s Committee has just decided to establish the Bac Hai Van Landscape Protection Zone, located in Chan May - Lang Co Commune.

Going through many generations, the traditional drum-making craft of the Co Tu people has gradually faded, remaining only in the memories of a few elders. In Doi Village, Khe Tre Commune, artisan and village elder Vuong Van Cua is one of the last people still preserving the ancient secrets of making traditional Co Tu drums.

The Co Tu people in hamlet 5, Nam Dong commune (merged from Huong Xuan, Thuong Nhat and Huong Son communes) still call Village Elder Tran Dinh Lua (72 years old) the “living treasure” of their village. To this day, he is one of the few remaining people who preserve the sacred sound of the gong that has been intertwined with generations of the Co Tu people.

That was the message shared by Mr. Phan Quy Phuong, Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee, at the seminar themed “Green Transition and Strategy to Attract Industrial Investment in Hue City”, co-organized on September 19th by Tuoi Tre Newspaper, the Packaging Recycling Alliance Vietnam (PRO Vietnam), and Hue City People’s Committee. Attending the seminar was Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Hue City People’s Committee.

The village elders and young people here appreciate and are aware of preserving traditional culture and promoting this unique art form.