It took a whole month of scheduling before I could meet the famous Vietnamese-American chef Kevin Tien in Washington, D.C. It’s truly fascinating that in the heart of the U.S. capital, there’s a culinary space called Moon Rabbit - where this young man quietly plants seeds of creativity to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the world and inspire the Vietnamese expatriate community.

Quiet workshop sessions have become a popular destination for many young people during the New Year holiday. These workshops offer not only hands-on experiences in making handicrafts but also moments for young participants to slow down emotionally and freely express themselves through colors that bear their own personal imprint.

The year 2026 opens the 2026–2030 period, marked by increasingly fierce competition to attract resources, talent, and visitors, while Hue cannot pursue rapid urbanization or heavy industry. Hue’s path must be its own: taking heritage, culture, landscape, and ways of life as deep, distinctive, and sustainable advantages; taking creativity and experience as driving forces; and placing the people of Hue at the center of all development policies.

The entrepreneurial journey of Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Duong, a member of the Women’s Union of My Thuong Ward, is the result of perseverance, creativity, and belief in the value of her hometown's specialties. A traditional product has been reimagined in a new version - tailored to modern tastes while preserving the soul of Hue crystallized ginger.

At the heart of the Imperial City of Hue, the 180-year-old Co Mat Vien (Supreme council for military and major state affairs of the Nguyen Dynasty) is gradually being revitalized in a new guise. Formerly the seat of the highest decisions of the Nguyen Dynasty, the space is being shaped into a center for creativity, education, and heritage experiences for the community.

In the not-too-distant future, the more than 120-hectare area south of Hue city center will move beyond being a newly developed site to take shape as a “university city” - a space for living, learning, and creativity, gathering the intellectual elite of Central Vietnam.

Organized for the first time by Hue University, the “Hue University Innovation Solutions Competition - 2025” not only recognizes innovative initiatives but also motivates lecturers to sustain creativity, foster the inspiration of innovation and startups among students.

Business intertwined with the promotion of Hue's traditional culture is a path that more and more young people are pursuing, asserting the creativity, identity, and spirit of self-reliance. Rather than chasing mass-market trends, “recalling the past to understand the future” has become the business philosophy for a segment of the younger generation, bringing cultural heritage into contemporary life naturally.

On the morning of December 23, the exhibition “OMOCHA: The World of Modern Japanese Toys” was introduced to the public at AEON Mall Hue, offering visitors an opportunity to explore the evolution of Japanese toys from tradition to modernity through the lens of culture and creativity.

Viet Nam is entering an entirely new stage of development for its cultural industries - where culture is recognized as a strategic asset, an endogenous resource, a driver of creativity, and a pillar of the national growth model.