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| International tourists enjoying painting with locals in Thuy Bieu Village |
Four sets of programs, nearly 160 activities
After being honored by the Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to host the National Tourism Year 2025, local authorities and the tourism sector have begun building plans and done preparations.
The National Tourism Year – Hue 2025 program includes numerous events grouped into four main categories: the “Xuan Co do” (Spring of the Ancient Capital) Spring Festival; the “Kinh thanh toa sang” (Shining Citadel) Summer Festival; the Autumn Festival “Hue vao Thu” (Hue in Autumn); and the “Mua dong xu Hue” (Hue in Winter) Winter Festival.
Key highlights include the Opening Ceremony for the National Tourism Year – Hue 2025, combined with the launch of Hue Festival and a fireworks show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hue's liberation on the evening of March 25th, 2025; an international conference on “Promoting Tourism through Cultural Industry Activities in Vietnam” on March 25th, 2025; a cultural tourism festival introducing Vietnamese tourism, cuisine, and handicrafts, connecting businesses at the European market currently expected to be in June 2025; and the Closing Ceremony of the National Tourism Year in late December 2025.
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| Ceremonial flag handover for hosting the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025. Photo: Department of Tourism |
Throughout the National Tourism Year – Hue 2025, over 160 national and provincial-level events will be held, with contributions from various provinces and cities. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, along with central agencies, will organize 8 national-level activities. Other provinces and cities will host 105 programs, events, and festivals. Hue will lead approximately 46 unique programs, events, and festivals of regional, national, and international scale, complemented by dozens of additional activities from Hue Festival 2025.
Notably, key events of the National Tourism Year – Hue 2025 aim to create widespread appeal, foster domestic tourism development, and promote Vietnam's and Hue's tourism images abroad, attracting more visitors to the Ancient Capital.
Discover Hue’s unique attractions
In 2024, Hue welcomed over 3.9 million visitors, an increase of nearly 22% compared to 2023. This included almost 1.45 million international tourists (up 17%) and 2.5 million domestic tourists (up 25%). Tourism revenue reached an estimated 7,900 billion VND, marking a 20% increase from 2023.
Several milestones were achieved in the tourism sector in 2024. Particularly, Thua Thien Hue Province and its tourism industry received prestigious accolades, such as the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award, the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Product Award 2024 for An Nhien Garden’s cultural-artistic-culinary and vegetarian wellness experiences, the ASEAN MICE Venue Award 2024, and the 8th spot in Tripadvisor's list of the top 25 cultural destinations worldwide for 2024. Hue was also ranked 35th among the 50 best culinary cities globally by the international gastronomy platform TasteAtlas.
According to leaders of the Department of Tourism, Hue holds immense heritage value with eight UNESCO-recognized world heritage sites, 89 national relics, and 3 special national relics. It boasts hundreds of folk and royal festivals, a rich and unique culinary culture, and stunning natural landscapes. With its strategic political-economic location and tourism potential, Hue is a favourite destination for both domestic and international tourists, earning titles like ASEAN Cultural City, National Green City, and ASEAN Clean Tourist City…
Permanent Vice Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Provincial People’s Committee, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, emphasized that as Hue has become a centrally-governed municipality, hosting the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025 holds immense significance. It is pivotal for Hue's journey toward sustainable development, rooted in the preservation and promotion of the ancient capital's heritage and cultural identity, with its rich culture, heritage, ecological and scenic landscapes, environmental friendliness, and smart integration. This is also a prominent cultural-tourism event, with national and international stature, which provides a platform for localities across Vietnam to showcase and promote the beauty of their traditional cultural values, natural resources, and unique tourism products. It contributes to the development of tourism, serving as a catalyst for economic and social progress in Hue and other regions nationwide, not just in 2025 but in the coming years.
To create appeals, the tourism industry, local authorities, and relevant agencies have carefully designed activities linked to Hue Festival 2025 - an established brand name - while creating new, innovative tour products and experiences tailored to the region’s strengths.
At the closing ceremony of the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 and the flag handover for Hue 2025, Permanent Vice Chairman Nguyen Thanh Binh expressed Hue's excitement in welcoming delegates, residents, and tourists nationwide and internationally to immerse themselves in the activities and events of National Tourism Year – Hue 2025. Through this activity, he hopes that visitors would enjoy unique and memorable experiences of Hue’s hospitable people and enchanting land.