On the afternoon of May 5th in Hanoi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a working session with Hue City People’s Committee on the development of culture, sports, and tourism, as well as the preservation and promotion of heritage values.

For many years, the development of waterway tourism has been a consistent goal, as the potential of Hue's rivers remained largely untapped. Following the City People's Committee's announcement of the inland waterway route on the Ngu Ha River, along with the pilot launch of heritage-linked tourism routes using electric boats on the Huong River and its tributaries, the local waterway tourism is expected to be unlocked.

For a long time, tourism in Hue has largely relied on cultural and heritage assets, resulting in short visitor stays, relatively low spending levels, and limited value creation. As tourism trends shift strongly toward resort-based, experiential, and sports-oriented travel, developing marine tourism, especially coastal resort tourism, is not only a new direction but also a necessity for restructuring the visitor market toward higher-spending segments.

Hue City People’s Committee has officially announced the opening of an inland waterway route on the Ngu Ha river, spanning 3,5 km, set to begin operations on April 10th, 2026. This marks the initial step in a project to introduce electric tourist boats, expected to be launched around April 30th, opening up new prospects for river-based tourism and enabling the exploration of heritage spaces by water.

Kicking off Hue Ao Dai Week 2026, scheduled to take place from July 3 to 10, is the event “Ao dai Connecting Tourism and Heritage”, which will be held on the morning of July 3 at the Quoc Tu Giam area.

Now in its fifth year, Hue has been hosting the Four Seasons Festival (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). Instead of concentrating activities within a few peak days as in the past, the Hue Four Seasons Festival is implemented under a new model, featuring a continuous series of cultural, artistic and tourism events throughout the year to honor heritage, promote tourism and create new experiences for visitors.

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.

Two world heritage cities - York (the UK) and Kyoto (Japan) - have been implementing Net Zero tourism models that Hue can refer and adapt to its local context.

From early 2026, in addition to maintaining current ticket prices, Hue City will significantly expand the groups eligible for free and discounted entrance fees to heritage sites within the Hue Complex of Monuments. The move aims to facilitate access to heritage for residents and students, and to promote sustainable tourism demand.

In recent days, the mindset of “Preservation for Development” and “Development grounded in Heritage” has become increasingly evident in Hue City’s strategy. Heritage is identified as one of the essential pillars for sustainable tourism development, serving as a driving force for balanced and inclusive socio-economic development.