Built on the foundation of a distinctive heritage city, Hue is gradually transforming its cultural values into products, services, and resources for development. Festivals, ao dai, royal heritage, cuisine, craft villages, and digital technology are opening new creative spaces, enabling the city to preserve its identity while creating livelihoods, attracting tourists, and generating additional drivers of sustainable growth.

A thematic exhibition entitled “President Ho Chi Minh and Key Historical Milestones in 1946” opened in Hue City on August 28.

Since May 26, functional forces in Hue City have completed sampling at 7,282 martyrs’ graves across 42 cemeteries, reaching 100% of the planned number. Of these, samples of remains have been collected for DNA testing from more than 3,900 graves, equivalent to 53.4%.

The third stage of the "I Love My Fatherland" Journey 2026 was launched at Lung Cu National Flag Tower in Lung Cu commune of Tuyen Quang province on July 13, as part of activities marking the 70th traditional day of the Viet Nam Youth Federation (October 15, 1956 – 2026).

Hoang Hai Minh, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hue City Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, hosted a delegation from the City of Cergy, France, on July 2, headed by Malika Yebdri, First Deputy Mayor in charge of Culture, Cultural Heritage, and International Cooperation, during the delegation's working visit to Hue.

Hue City is entering a new phase of development with the determination to build a centrally-governed city with its own unique cultural identity, heritage, ecology, and landscape.

The Hue Festival Trade Fair 2026 officially opened on June 12 at the Hue City Culture and Sports Square, featuring 240 booths and bringing together businesses, cooperatives and trade promotion organisations from across the country.

With a vast and valuable treasure trove of heritage accumulated through many dynasties, Hue City possesses strong potential to develop culture, heritage, and tourism. Tangible and intangible cultural values, festivals, craft villages, cuisine, and traditional arts form an important foundation for the city to develop tourism in a robust manner.

Becoming a centrally governed city from early 2025 has not only opened up new development space, but has also imposed higher demands on Thua Thien Hue (now Hue City) to establish a model for rapid and sustainable growth.

Protecting and promoting heritage values is not only about preserving them in their original state, it also requires approaches that are suitable to new contexts.

On April 17, the People’s Committee of Hue city held a ceremony to honour and confer the title of “Honorary Citizen of Hue City” on Kang Bong Jun, a national of the Republic of Korea and General Director of SMC Hue Co., Ltd., in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the locality’s socio-economic development.

Hue is not short of visitors, nor does it lack the potential to develop a night-time economy. Yet, the city largely winds down after 10 pm, leaving a prolonged gap in visitors’ experiences.

The recently approved adjustment to Hue City’s master plan is not only about figures or boundaries on paper, but a matter of redefining its position in a new context.

From April 2026, Hue will begin piloting electric boat tourism routes on the Ngu Ha–Dong Ba river system. These canals, once serving the Nguyen dynasty court, are now becoming a unique experiential space in the heart of a heritage city.

Under its new-phase urban development strategy, Hue City is steadily realising its orientation of expanding development space towards the sea. This is not merely a geographical expansion, but a strategic choice aimed at restructuring growth drivers, easing pressure on the central urban area and strengthening regional linkages.

Hue imperial city, Ho Chi Minh City, and Quang Ninh Province were named the Domestic Destination of the Year 2025 in the HOTLIST Travellive Editor’s Pick 2025 at a ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 19.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung began his working visit to Hue City on the morning of December 18. He paid a visit to extend Christmas greetings at the Archbishop Residence in Hue and visited several families whose houses are being rebuilt quickly after recent natural disasters during the morning working programme.

The central city of Hue has so far received over 329 billion VND (over 12.5 million USD) from the central budget, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF)'s agencies, and other localities to support flood recovery efforts, according to the municipal Civil Defence Command.

Party General Secretary To Lam urged the central city of Hue to expedite post-flood recovery efforts, aiming to swiftly return students to school and restore normalcy for residents, during a working trip on November 2.

Party General Secretary To Lam on November 2 visited and presented gifts to residents in the central city of Hue, who have been severely affected by the recent flooding.