The highlight of this issue of Hue Today Weekly is an article by Phan Thanh titled ‘Tourism Leading the Way for Cultural Industries’.

On the afternoon of October 20th, Hue City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the City Border Guard Command signed a cooperation program for the 2026-2030 period. The program aims to improve the effectiveness of cultural, sports, tourism, information, communications and external information activities in border and coastal areas, while supporting efforts to safeguard territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Beyond its heritage attractions, Hue is becoming a choice of culinary destination for many travelers. The distinctive local dishes of the former imperial capital are contributing to the formation of a unique appeal for Hue’s tourism.

Hue has identified tourism and services as its spearhead economic sector. Under the scenario for developing tourism in line with the double-digit growth target, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has set a target for Hue to welcome approximately 2.5 million international visitors in 2026, up 31.5% from 2025. This is both a target and a test of the city’s ability to turn its tourism advantages into revenue, investment opportunities, and ripple effects across other economic sectors.

The train trip connecting Hue and Da Nang has been ranked 10th on Condé Nast Traveler (US edition)’s list of top 20 best train trips in the world for 2026, as voted for by readers. The recognition highlights the appeal of Central Vietnam’s natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and railway tourism experiences.

On October 14 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Hue City People’s Committee signed an Action plan for cooperation on the development of culture, sports, and tourism through 2030. Hue City is the first locality to sign such a cooperation plan, aiming to tap into the potential and advantages of the city as a heritage city, a Festival City, and a distinctive cultural center of Vietnam.

With a new approach that shifts from ''preserving and exploiting individual monuments'' to ''connecting and leveraging the entire heritage system,'' the Project titled ''Leveraging the Value of President Ho Chi Minh Relics in Hue City for Tourism Development (2026 - 2030)'' (hereinafter referred to as the Project) also aims to address uneven heritage promotion and the lack of system-wide connectivity among historic sites.

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.’

Hue has the potential not only to become a prominent culinary destination in Southeast Asia but also to work towards a position among Asia’s leading culinary centers. Therefore, preparing an application dossier to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of cuisine would strengthen Hue’s culinary brand name, promote its cultural values more widely, and boost tourism.

Hue Today Weekly, Issue No. 93, offers readers an in-depth look at Hue City’s project to develop services and tourism along the Dong Ba - Bach Dang - Huynh Thuc Khang river axis; and an idea for piloting and eventually expanding the Digital Citizen Station model. The issue also features prominent current affairs, as well as many engaging stories about history and culture…

In the coming time, the tourism sector will enhance the promotion of culinary tourism through culinary events and festivals, and create unique culinary tours to promote the advantages of local cuisine and enhance the tourism experience for visitors.

The tourism potential and resources in localities are abundant, and favorable for developing community tourism, and rural agricultural tourism, etc.

The tourism sector will convey the messages about plastic-free tourist destinations and tours through the promotion on at least 3 platforms with the highest reach of tourists.

In the rainy weather, excitement and joy were clearly visible on the faces of international guests.