Children eagerly take part in a fan-painting workshop, adding colorful designs to their fans. Each participant chooses their own colors and patterns, adding a personal touch and conveying a heartfelt message through a meaningful gift.

Phan Vu Tuan, a painter, was born in 1994 in Son Tien Commune, Ha Tinh Province. He grew up in a midland village, surrounded by mountain ranges and immersed in the rhythms of life in a farming family. After studying at the University of Fine Arts in Hue, he decided to remain in the city beside the Huong River, where he has made his home and continued to paint. Over time, Tuan has become deeply attached to Hue, which has come to feel like a second homeland. His native Son Tien village and Hue City have become the two central subjects of his watercolour paintings.

Living and working in Hue, expats can truly enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life. With cultural and artistic spaces nearby, it is easy to experience the city’s culture while enjoying its peaceful atmosphere.

Although he works in forestry and biodiversity conservation, Mai Quang Huy has never let go of his passion for and love of painting.

Beyond visiting heritage sites, enjoying local cuisine and exploring traditional crafts, residents and visitors to Hue now have more interactive and creative ways to experience the city. From getting acquainted with the handpan and making wagashi by hand to painting and crafting, … small-scale workshops are adding new ‘colors’ to the life experiences in the Ancient Capital.

Drawing on the woodblock prints of traditional Vietnamese folk painting genres such as Dong Ho, Hang Trong, Kim Hoang, and Lang Sinh, the Woodblock Art Experience Space at 23-25 Le Loi Street brings visitors closer to traditional art. Beyond contemplating the artworks, visitors can try printing and coloring the woodblocks while discovering the stories and cultural values behind each piece.

It takes an artist one to several days to complete a single ao-dai design. Each hand-painted piece costs from a few hundred thousand to several million VND.

The care that Nguyen Phan’s children take of his father’s art legacy is rare and admirable. For a long time, they have been preserving his father’s paintings and sculptures, searching for his missing ones, and making them a family’s legacy to pass to their younger generations, including documents and records of his monuments and public green spaces.

After its preliminary round, the 2026 Children’s painting contest based on books, themed ‘Drawing the Future with Books’, attracted over 350 paintings submitted by students aged 6 to 15 from across Hue City. Organized by Hue City Library, the contest selected 50 works from the entries for the final round, which was held on August 14.

After nearly two decades of practicing art, Mr. Nguyen Van He has found himself returning to one question: How can memories be transformed into hope? The Hue-born artist has “distilled” his answer into ‘Folding a Sky’, an exhibition he painstakingly brought from Kim Son Hill to Ho Chi Minh City to present to the public in mid-July.

On the afternoon of August 9th, at Lieu Quan Hue Buddhist Cultural Centre, Hue Union of Literature and Arts Associations, in collaboration with Lieu Quan Hue Buddhist Cultural Centre and the family of Nguyen Phan, a late painter, opened the exhibition ‘Nguyen Phan: Echoes of Returning Home’.

Once lost, Kim Hoang folk paintings are gradually making a comeback thanks to the effort of artisan Nguyen Thi Binh. Recently, those paintings have been exhibited and introduced to the public in Hue.

From eggshell fragments, artisans create lacquer artworks with exquisite beauty. Today, the eggshell inlay technique is also being applied to a range of creative handicraft products, and is reaching closer to young people through hands-on workshops.

The medium of watercolor may appear delicate, yet in the hands of skilled painters, it becomes a powerful means of expression. At the exhibition “There Is… a River”, visitors can experience both the talent of the painters and the distinctive allure of a medium known for its transparency, lightness, and poetic charm.

Participants not only learn about the craft but also create their own finished products. Through such hands-on experiences, folk paintings are brought closer to everyday life.

The painting street during the Hue Festival was initiated in 2010 and has now become an indispensable playground for artists in a city with a rich culture like the Ancient Capital. This is also an interesting highlight for the community during Hue Festival.

The stunningly beautiful carved images on Cuu Dinh (Nine Dynastic Urns) inside Hue Imperial City have become even more fascinating and unique as they have been transformed into wood-carved paintings by a group of experts and artists.