Could you share more specifically about the achievements so far as Hue hosts the NTY?
The most obvious result is the surge in tourist numbers. In the first eight months of 2025, Hue welcomed an estimated 4.6 million tourist arrivals, up 68% compared to the same period last year, and already surpassing the total number of visitors in 2024, which stood at 3,9 million. Tourism revenue in eight months reached over 8.740 billion VND, an increase of more than 57% year-on-year.
The attention from the central government, ministries, sectors, and local authorities, especially the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Hue City has enabled the local tourism industry to carry out very effective promotion activities. Hue has participated in promotion and market-expansion activities in many European countries, such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and France… Hue and Da Nang jointly organized a tourism promotion program in Malaysia and Indonesia. Other domestic and international promotional activities have also been effectively implemented, not only broadening traditional markets but also tapping into potential new markets.
A highlight is that, after many years, Hue’s tourism images have once again been featured on CNN, reaching a wide international audience.
 |
| Promotional activities on Hue’s culture, tourism, and cuisine in Europe. Photo: Tran Thien |
How has the development of tourism products linked to the NTY been carried out?
From the preparation stage, the Department of Tourism identified that for a strong breakthrough, Hue would develop flagship tourism products based on Hue’s cultural foundation.
The opening program of the NTY already demonstrated the city’s focus on product quality. Beyond artistic and stage highlights, advanced technology and modern techniques such as LED effects, water projection, and mapping, … have created a fresh experience for audiences. At the same time, it affirmed Hue’s new momentum in moving forward in harmony with the nation’s sustainable development strategy.
Hue has been and is focusing on restructuring its products to align with market trends, ensuring the Hue tourism brand. Together with major travel enterprises, the city has developed products beyond Hue’s cultural-heritage strengths, focusing also on cultural industries and art performances to refresh Hue’s tourism products and extend tourist stay time.
Compared to when Hue first hosted the NTY in 2012, what is the key difference of the NTY - Hue 2025?
Thirteen years after first hosting, Hue continues to leverage its cultural heritage strengths, enabling tourists to explore landscapes, cultural identity, Hue people, the beauty of Hue tourism, while also showcasing the city’s changes and development progress.
In addition to maintaining traditional tourism products, Hue has focused on renewing products, creating new tours and routes, while boosting communications to highlight unique cultural, heritage, and natural values. Especially significant has been the strengthening of partnerships with international tourism organizations, embassies, and foreign cultural institutions, as well as global media such as CNN and international social networks to expand outreach, attract attention, and enhance the impact of NTY messaging.
 |
| Visitors experiencing Hue by cyclo |
A new highlight of the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025 is the focus on and launch of activities, events, and products from the cultural industries, aimed at fostering sustainable tourism while maintaining culture, heritage, and tradition as the foundation. This approach combines three key elements: Hue music, the ao dai, and cuisine. Hue has begun to shape new tourism products such as music nights and performance shows; culinary demonstrations and experiences, including chef competitions, … along with cultural and artistic programs. In addition, other diverse and engaging activities of national and international scale such as the final round of Miss Vietnam 2025 and the Hue Mega Booming music program, ... These new beginnings help to make the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025 both distinctive and captivating.
Alongside these early “fruits,” what concerns remain for Hue’s tourism?
Hue aims to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector, worthy of its position as a distinctive tourism hub of Vietnam and the region, closely linked to promoting the value of its heritage city on a cultural foundation, with a green and smart orientation. To enhance Hue’s tourism competitiveness, it is essential to diversify markets, products, and supply chains as well as broaden market segments while developing tourism types that suit visitor preferences. In fact, along the journey of implementing tasks and solutions for tourism development, Hue has already achieved many results. However, compared with its potential and strengths, much more effort is still required.
Another important point is that Hue is opening up favorable mechanisms to attract investment. What Hue needs are investors with both vision and commitment, as well as the presence of international tourism brands. This is not only the aspiration of the NTY, but also the desire of the locality and the tourism sector in their journey to make Hue’s tourism a true spearhead of the economy.
With more than three months left in 2025, what solutions will the tourism sector continue to implement to end an impressive National Tourism Year; and, address the concerns you just mentioned?
In the coming time, many activities and events will be organized, including: the “Hue - Culinary Capital” Food Festival , part of the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025; the 2025 International Chef Contest; the National Conference on Net Zero Tourism - currently a major trend in Vietnam and worldwide; and arranging trips for domestic and international travel enterprises to survey Hue as a destination. In addition, the Mega Booming 2 grand music festival will return, promising to be even more exciting, ... Beyond that, other events and activities are also scheduled, such as the International Conference on Cultural Industries, the Vietnam Golf Course Owners Conference, and the event Hello Cosmo From Vietnam.
For the NTY closing program, our orientation is to innovate in concept and scenario, and build a program that is both attractive and capable of leaving a deep impression on audiences. At the same time, we will leverage major NTY events to promote Hue’s image through mass media, social networks, and international channels in order to capture the attention of domestic and foreign tourists. Furthermore, we will continue developing distinctive tourism products to allow tourists to explore Hue’s history, culture, and nature more deeply, creating a unique edge compared with other destinations.
Thank you for sharing!