In the depth of Hue culture, gardens are not merely green zones, acting as supporting elements for architecture, but a constituent factor shaping the urban identity. Hue is famous for the Perfume River, Mount Ngu, the Citadel, royal tombs, pagodas, and noble residences, but Hue is also well known for its gardens. In Hue, gardens soften architecture, calm the everyday life, deepen poetry, and create a unique urban style: a garden city, a city of poetry, the harmony between man and nature, or “an urban poem” as said by M’Bow, former Director-General of UNESCO.

On the night of March 2, the Union of Literature and Arts Associations and the Hue City Writers’ Association hosted the Binh Ngo 2026 First Full Moon Poetry Night under the theme “Spring by the Huong River”, drawing a large number of writers, artists, and poetry lovers to attend.

Some rivers have painted their own portraits in human memory, like the Seine with Paris, the Danube with Vienna, the Nile with Egypt... And with Hue, it is the Huong River – the one that has immersed itself in layers of mist and time, flowing into poetry, music, and painting as a wandering stream.

Together with the Huong River - Ngu Mountain, the conical hat and the purple ao dai of Hue Women are also a symbolic cultural combo that is deeply connected with the locals in the Ancient Capital. And the poet Bui Giang once “fell in love”: The poetic conical hat / Taking you to Hue City / Sunshine pierces the rim / Revealing the soul of homeland in poetry… (Taking you to the city).

At the 7th Ancient Capital Literature and Arts Awards, musician Le Quang Vu (born in 1968) with his Symphony Poetry “Green City along the Perfume River” won the A prize in the music category. That being said, he is also known by the musicians in particular and music lovers in general as the “conductor” of Hue Brass Orchestra.

On the afternoon of January 21, the exhibition by the Huong River Antique Pottery Museum, included a cultural and artistic seminar along with a calligraphy exhibition focused on the theme “Imperial City of Hue in Poetry - Emperor Thieu Tri and the Collection of Ngu De Do Hoi Verses”.

It is the Huong River, the river that "embraces Hue in its heart", which is also a priceless gift that nature has dedicated to this place. The Huong River is magnificent from the upstream, with a peaceful beauty and full of poetry as it confluences and hugs around gardens and villages such as Kim Long, Nguyet Bieu, Vy Da, Gia Hoi, Bao Vinh, and Sinh village, etc. And then, before pouring water into the sea, the downstream river area is a place to make a living, which is hard but close and dear to the locals.