In the depth of Hue culture, gardens are not merely green zones, acting as supporting elements for architecture, but a constituent factor shaping the urban identity. Hue is famous for the Perfume River, Mount Ngu, the Citadel, royal tombs, pagodas, and noble residences, but Hue is also well known for its gardens. In Hue, gardens soften architecture, calm the everyday life, deepen poetry, and create a unique urban style: a garden city, a city of poetry, the harmony between man and nature, or “an urban poem” as said by M’Bow, former Director-General of UNESCO.

Once being the Imperial Capital under the Nguyen Dynasty, Hue has undergone many historical phases, and today the city is regarded as one of Vietnam’s few cities where multiple architectural traditions coexist. It brings together folk, royal, colonial, and modern styles, developing in a way that balances the architecture, landscape, and culture, forming a distinctive urban identity.

Eight years ago, on May 19, 2016, the heritage “Poetry and Literature on Hue Royal Architecture” (1802 - 1945) was recognized as a World Documentary Heritage in the Asia-Pacific region by the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP).