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.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has just announced the 2024 environmental protection rankings (covering 63 provinces and centrally governed cities before administrative mergers) based on the PEPI Index. Thua Thien Hue Province, now Hue City, has risen to claim first place on the rankings.

This was among the key outcomes shared at the Conference on Reviewing the Implementation of Resolution 05/2019/NQ-HDND issued by the Provincial People’s Council (now Hue City People’s Council) on policies supporting community-based tourism (CBT) development in Thua Thien Hue Province (now Hue City) through 2025. The conference, organized by the Department of Tourism on the morning of November 12th, gathered representatives from departments, agencies, and 40 communes and wards across the city.

In the article “Pho Loi River through the Nguyen Dynasty’s Woodblock”, the author Thom Quang cited a historical information: “In Dai Nam thuc luc woodblock No. 154, the carved page 2 recorded that in the year At Mui of Lunar Calendar (1835), Emperor Minh Mang issued an edict for Thua Thien Hue Province to dig Pho Loi River”. Pho Loi River stretches along the route from Hue, starting from the point where it meets the Huong River and then flowing out to Thuan An seaport.

Reflecting on the past 50 years, Thua Thien Hue Province, now Hue City, has undergone many remarkable and commendable changes in all aspects of life, economy, and society.

For four consecutive years, Hue City has ranked among the top 10 provinces and cities nationwide in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). This is a remarkable achievement for Thua Thien Hue (now Hue City), especially in the context of increasingly fierce competition among localities to attract investment. The result not only reflects a stable business and investment environment, but also demonstrates a significant shift in governance mindset and the improved quality of the civil servants – a pioneering force in building a service-oriented government.

In the 2024-2025 National Excellent Student Exam, students from Hue City achieved 85 awards, placing Thua Thien Hue among the top-performing provinces nationwide. This marks a record-breaking year with the highest number of national awards ever achieved by the city’s teams.

On November 30, 2024, the National Assembly passed the Resolution to establish Hue City under the Central Government from January 1, 2025, and the Resolution on the restructuring of district and commune-level administrative units of Hue City, in the 2023 - 2025 period. Hue City (under Thua Thien Hue Province) will be divided into two districts: Phu Xuan and Thuan Hoa.

Saigon Morin Hue LLC has just been honored with the Vietnam Golden Star Award 2024, and this company ranks in Top 200 typical businesses nationwide. Besides that, Saigon Morin Hue LLC is also the only business of Thua Thien Hue province to receive this award in 2024.

Within the closing ceremony of the Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024 on the evening of December 22, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong and the leaders of Dien Bien Province handed over the flag to Thua Thien Hue Province to host the Visit Vietnam Year 2025.