In the early summer morning mist, while the weather still carries a hint of chilly breeze, many people passing by Tinh Tam Lake inside Hue Citadel feel as though they have “wandered into a serene space”, where some brew tea, some enjoy tea, others gently pick lotus blossoms, while locals and visitors take the opportunity to pose for photos with the blooming lotus flowers… Tinh Tam has long been a famous scenic spot, once listed by Emperor Thieu Tri as one of the “Twenty finest landscapes of the Imperial Land”. Contributing greatly to the fame of this landmark is the white lotus, also known as the “royal” lotus.

On the morning of April 11, at Secret Affairs Institute - Tam Toa Complex, Hue Monuments Conservation Center, in coordination with Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, Hai Ba Trung High School, and Nguyen Hue High School, organized a heritage education program titled “Reforms of Emperor Minh Mang”, in celebration of Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day (April 21).

Following its success in Hue, representative paintings by Emperor Ham Nghi will be showcased to the public in Hanoi in late April 2026.

On the evening of March 3 (the 15th day of the first lunar month), at Ngo Mon Square – Hue Imperial Citadel, the Organizing Committee of Hue Festival and Hue Monuments Conservation Center held the art program “Thi di ngon chi” on the occasion of the 24th Vietnamese Poetry Day.

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.

After nearly two years of restoration and rehabilitation of the remaining structures of Emperor Tu Duc’s Mausoleum, Minh Khiem Hall (an ancient theater) – regarded as a “precious gem” of royal court performing arts – is gradually revealing its original appearance.

On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of Emperor Ham Nghi’s issuance of the Can Vuong Edict (1885 - 2025) - a milestone marking the beginning of the representative patriotic movement of the late 19th century, on the morning of December 7, Hue Monuments Conservation Center organized the heritage education program “Can Vuong tremendous spirit” (“Hao khi Can Vuong”) at Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities and the Nguyen Dynasty’s Privy Council (Co Mat Vien - Tam Toa) space.

Amid moss-covered rooftops and the quiet waters of the Huong River, or wandering up Thien An Hill, Vong Canh Hill, and into the tombs of the Nguyen emperors… a young woman with the nickname Hoang Trinh Phan has made a significant presence across social media platforms, sharing stories about heritage. Her “heritage storytelling” page has attracted thousands of viewers and followers, not only for her charm but also for the wealth of essential knowledge about cultural heritage that she brings to the public and the community.

Starting on September 9, the method of welcoming and serving visitors to the The To Mieu relic site (Hue Imperial Citadel), where the Nguyen Dynasty emperors are worshiped, will be changed. Accordingly, visitors will no longer be allowed going inside the building. Instead, they will be able to visit, explore, and offer incense from the outside.

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.

An Thai is the name of a hundreds of years old antique village specializing in making rice paper cakes and noodles, located by the Con River in An Thai hamlet, Nhon Phuc commune, An Nhon town, Binh Dinh province.