More than three decades after UNESCO inscribed the Complex of Hue Monuments as a World Cultural Heritage Site (1993), nearly 200 structures and components have been restored, helping turn heritage into a resource for development in the new period.

At Vietnam - Japan Local Cooperation Forum 2026, the thematic session ‘From Heritage Conservation to Cultural Industries: Unlocking Potential and Connecting Opportunities for Local Cooperation’ highlighted how heritage is increasingly being seen as a resource for development when connected with communities, technology, tourism and cultural industries.

The Government’s issuance of Decree No. 282/2026/ND-CP on July 14th, 2026, to provide guidance for the implementation of Resolution No. 28/2026/QH16 on the development of Vietnamese culture and establishing criteria for piloting the cultural heritage city model, has opened up a new approach to the relationship between conservation and development.

As Hue City advances its development as a centrally governed heritage city, the need to fully identify and recognize the city's cultural, historical, landscape, and human values has become increasingly urgent.

On June 24, Hue City Women’s Union, in coordination with the city’s Forest Protection Department, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Small Grants Programme (SGP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organized the program “The Cultural Colors of the Bru - Van Kieu People” in Phuc Loc Village, Hung Loc Commune.

Being nominated for “Asia’s Leading Cultural City Destination” at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2026 can be considered an encouraging sign for the potential development of Vietnam’s cultural and tourism sectors.

On June 19th, a working delegation from Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee, led by Vice Chairwoman of Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee Vuong Ngoc Ha, had a meeting with Hue City People's Committee to exchange experience in heritage management, preservation, and promotion in connection with tourism development and cultural industries.

Cultural industries, based on knowledge, creativity, identity, and technology, are emerging as one of the key growth drivers for many nations. In this context, placing culture at the center of development strategy - as expressed in the spirit of Resolution 80-NQ/TW dated January 7, 2026, of the Politburo on the development of Vietnamese culture - is not merely a political orientation but an inevitable imperative of the era. ​

From May 29 to 31, the Bao Vinh pedestrian street in Hoa Chau Ward will be transformed into a vibrant community cultural space through the “Childhood Memories in the Heart of the Ancient Town” Festival - an event that combines heritage preservation, community tourism development, and in response to the Action Month for Children 2026.

In the context of a heritage city that is gradually affirming its position as a distinctive cultural center of the country, the development of reading culture in Hue is no longer a purely promotional issue. Instead, it has become a strategic matter, closely associated with human quality, endogenous strength, and the city’s vision for sustainable development.