Some history
According to the book Guide de l'Annam by Ph. Éberhardt (the French teacher of King Duy Tan) in the early twentieth century, Hue tourism was born at the same time as Hue Morin Hotel Restaurant. From its inception to 1954, the Hue tourism sector outranked the Central provinces. For half a century, Hue tourism was known to the world with the following names that could be considered as slogans:
Hue - The Marvellous Capital (Hué - La Merveilleuse Capitale).
Hue, Mystery (Hué, la mystérieuse)
After 1980, the French friends of Hue motivated tourists to Hue with the slogan "Hue, mystery and discovery" (Hué, les mystérieuses et découvertes).
Also in the period after 1980, UNESCO also gave Hue many attractive slogans:
"Hue is always new" - "You always have to see Hue again",
"Hué toujours recommencé" - "Hue - is always renewed".
"Hue- A Masterpiece of Urban Poetry" (Un chef - d'oeuvre de poésie urbaine).
The above slogans were given by French scholars to Hue due to the distinctiveness of Hue's cultural history; UNESCO gave the slogans to Hue to mobilize international efforts to restore Hue's historical monuments. However, these slogans have not captured Hue's unique strengths which can attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to Hue. Therefore, these slogans only stay in the books of Hue researchers.
Mysterious "confession"
A slogan is the power of a locality, a business, a product... which is only summed up in several words. The more succinct, the better. A slogan must be short, but full of content, and must convey a range of different characteristics and a commitment to be honest and sustainable.
Slogan designers believe that a slogan is the mysterious "confession" to "lure" the customer. Customers now do not believe in word games. Customers are attracted by the hidden feeling in the slogan, not by a full explanation. I believe, in order to design a slogan, one must undergo a strict process.
- Studying "me in the human realm". First of all we have to know what we have that is attractive to our customers (For example, beautiful natural scenery, peace, safety, and honesty). We must also carry out a survey, investigating what visitors to Hue enjoy doing or seeing, and what we want to sell that lack buyers;
- We should segment the market and learn the difference between European and Asian guests, domestic guests in the North or South, and amongst the different ages;
- We should also position the market, allowing tourists to comment on what they like or do not like. It is necessary to promote and improve what is considered satisfactory for each market subject;
- The process of implementation, satisfying the requirements, commitment to sustainability must be summed up in a succinct phrase;
That is in principle. However, I do not have the chance to carry out a survey for accurate information so I cannot recommend a slogan derived from the above suggestions.
Some personal experience
With the knowledge of a writer in Hue, I would like to introduce Hue's position in Vietnamese history. Hue, known as the hinges of the two countries of Dai Viet and Champa, has a culture that has the strong, clear elements of Dai Viet in the north that blends in with its deep and rich Champa history in the South. Hue had the most heroic Quang Trung Dynasty, the dynasty which had the most prestige to the powerful China in the north. Hue has the last Nguyen Dynasty of the monarchy in the largest and richest unified Vietnam. The Nguyen kings had built the most glorious dynasty, leaving a unique complete royal citadel, the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia. Hue's terrain is full of primitive forests and hills like Da Lat, rice fields like South Vietnam, villages like those in the North, Thuan An - Lang Co beaches like Da Nang - Hoi An, Nha Trang. The Perfume river and Tam Giang lagoon are rare in Vietnam. Therefore, according to this introduction, the slogan I give to Hue is "Come to Hue to understand Vietnam".
I would like to introduce that Hue has many cultural heritages of mankind in a quiet green space that is now well-known in the world as well as other regions in Vietnam. "It is unlike anywhere else in the world” or more correctly, very few places have what Hue has. This is the uniqueness of Hue that many people admire. Wanting to introduce Hue in this way, I will write the slogan "Hue - Heritage of Humanity in A Fairy Garden".
If I would like to introduce Hue as a Festival City, with its rich and unique cuisine, special royal court music, with activities such as listening to Hue music on the Perfume River or meditation retreats, then I will choose the slogan "Hue - You will not regret coming here."
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It is time to end the era of repetition and spontaneity. Hue must have a strong slogan. It is not only the power to attract customers but also the development direction of our society towards the future.
Story, photo: NGUYEN DAC XUAN