November 24th has been officially designated Vietnam Culture Day by the Politburo. For Hue, one of Vietnam’s leading cultural and heritage cities, the occasion carries even greater significance. It also offers people from all walks of life an opportunity to engage with and gain a deeper understanding of the cultural values passed down by previous generations.

For Hue, Resolution 80-NQ/TW (Res 80) opens up a vital opportunity to transform cultural and heritage potential into resources for sustainable development. However, to achieve this goal, it is necessary to fully recognize the existing “bottlenecks” in the management, preservation, and promotion of heritage values.

‘Applied Fine Arts and Heritage: From Traditional Values to Contemporary Designs’ was the theme of an international scientific conference held on the morning of October 29 at the University of Arts, Hue University. The University of Arts and Udon Thani Rajabhat University of Thailand jointly organized this conference.

Inspired by a love for traditional culture, young designers in Hue are finding ways to bring heritage values into clothing through their own creative languages.

Once abandoned and severely deteriorated, several heritage sites in Hue have been ‘brought back to life’. Beyond helping preserve the values associated with their original owners and local communities, these structures have become cultural spaces, contributing to the character and identity of Hue heritage city.

On October 14, the Department of Science and Technology, the standing board of the Organizing Committee for the 2026 Hue City Creative Startup Competition, held the semifinal round for 30 outstanding projects selected from the preliminary round. This semifinal round was held under the theme ‘Promoting Cultural Heritage Values in the Digital Economy’.

On the afternoon of 30/9, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of Hue City People's Committee Le Tri Thanh led a survey of several heritage sites and cultural spaces to assess their current conditions and study ways to promote their historical, architectural and landscape values.

Alongside aspirations for future UNESCO inscription, Hue Nam Temple Festival (also known as Hon Chen Temple Festival) is increasingly being viewed as a distinctive form of spiritual tourism. Together with safeguarding core values, the festival is seeking to harness the depth of cultural heritage to attract visitors, while avoiding excessive commercialization that could erode the identity.

On the afternoon of September 24, a delegation from the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission had a working meeting with Hue Monuments Conservation Center to discuss the preservation and promotion of Hue’s cultural heritage, traditional performing arts, and the application of science and technology in heritage digitalization.

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.