Hue and the journey of taking off with cultural heritage

Five-Phoenix Tower (Hue) Photo: Le Huy Hoang Hai.

2025 is not only an important milestone when Hue officially becomes a city directly under the Central Government, but also 5 localities host the National Tourism Year . This is considered a golden opportunity for Hue to promote tourism development, creating a breakthrough momentum on the basis of unique cultural heritage values.

Hue - city of heritage and new opportunities

Hue, the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, is one of the cities with a rich history and culture. The Complex of Hue Monuments - recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1993 - is the clearest testament to this cultural depth.

At the same time, Hue is currently the only locality in Vietnam and Southeast Asia that owns 8 cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO in many categories. However, instead of just stopping at conservation, Hue has been transforming strongly, taking advantage of the heritages to create new and attractive tourism experiences.

One of the effective directions in developing Hue tourism is to combine heritage conservation and creative exploitation. Current tours to Hue Citadel not only stop at introducing history and architecture but also expand to experiential activities such as wearing royal ao dai, participating in reenactments of court rituals, or enjoying royal meals.

These activities not only help visitors better understand the royal life of the Nguyen Dynasty but also create unforgettable memories. In particular, the organization of cultural festivals such as Hue Festival, Ao Dai Festival, or street art programs have contributed to reviving Hue's cultural space in the hearts of visitors. This is the way Hue not only preserves but also renews its historical and cultural values.

In addition, Hue also takes advantage of intangible cultural values ​​to develop tourism. Hue royal court music has become a unique tourism product. Royal court music performances are not only held in royal spaces but also included in tours on the Perfume River, giving visitors both intimate and solemn experiences.

In addition to royal music, traditional craft villages such as Tay Ho conical hat village, Phuoc Tich pottery village, or Sinh village paintings are also exploited to develop craft village tourism. Visitors not only admire the exquisite handicraft products but also have the opportunity to participate in the production process, thereby understanding more about the culture and people of Hue.

Another notable point in the story of Hue tourism development is the combination of cultural tourism and eco-tourism. With its special geographical location, Hue not only has cultural heritage but also possesses many beautiful natural landscapes such as Bach Ma National Park, Tam Giang Lagoon, or Lang Co Beach.

The development of tours combining heritage sightseeing and nature exploration has brought diverse experiences to tourists. For example, after visiting the Hue Citadel, tourists can take a boat trip on the Perfume River to watch the sunset or explore the rich ecosystem of Tam Giang Lagoon. These experiences not only help tourists fully appreciate the beauty of Hue but also contribute to promoting the sustainable development of the local tourism industry.

Flower lanterns. Photo: Le Huy Hoang Hai

Steps towards new opportunities

In recent years, Hue has made significant strides in exploiting cultural heritage to develop tourism. Typically, works such as Kien Trung Palace and Thai Hoa Palace, after many years of restoration, opened to visitors in 2024, bringing great attraction.

In addition, modern technologies such as NFC chip panels help visitors experience "smart check-in" and explore information about the architecture and history of the royal court, creating a new look that is especially attractive to young people.

The Hue International Arts Festival 2024, with a series of events held at the Imperial City, attracted more than 2,500 visitors, an increase of 20% over the same period in 2023. Tourism products with the Hue brand such as "Hue - Festival City", "Hue - Culinary Capital" or "Hue - Capital of Vietnamese Ao Dai" have contributed to bringing the image of the ancient capital closer to domestic and foreign tourists; or the opening of Hai Van Quan relic site or the operation of the Hue - Da Nang tourist train called "Connecting Central Heritage"...

In 2024, Hue will welcome about 4 million tourists, an increase of 26% compared to 2023; of which, domestic tourists will account for about 2.7 million, equivalent to 69%, and total tourism revenue is estimated at VND 8,500 billion.

2025 is the time when Hue is determined to accelerate and make a breakthrough to achieve the socio-economic development goals for the period 2021 - 2025. Along with restructuring the economy, the province will focus on developing tourism as a strategic spearhead. The motto "Unique products - Professional services - Competitive prices - Safe and friendly destinations" will be the guiding principle for Hue to elevate tourism and effectively exploit heritage values.

Sinh Village folk paintings have become a need of cultural life, an element of traditional fine arts and a part of Hue's traditional culture. Photo: Phuc Dat

Challenges in tourism development

However, to effectively exploit its historical and cultural values, Hue needs to face many challenges. One of the biggest problems is the degradation of heritage structures. Under the impact of time and nature, many structures in the Complex of Hue Monuments are seriously damaged.

Restoration and preservation of these heritages require large financial resources as well as the participation of domestic and foreign experts. In addition, the massive development of tourism also poses the risk of losing the originality of Hue culture. The organization of tourism events needs to be carried out carefully, avoiding excessive commercialization or distortion of traditional cultural values.

To address these challenges, close coordination between management agencies, tourism businesses and local communities is needed. The government needs to issue policies to support heritage conservation, while encouraging businesses to participate in developing innovative tourism products.

The province will cooperate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organize the National Tourism Year 2025; promote the opening of connecting flights with domestic and foreign markets such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Can Tho, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea; and cooperate with major travel agencies in traditional and new potential markets.

The 2025 National Tourism Year in Hue is a golden opportunity to promote the image of the ancient capital to international friends. However, to turn this opportunity into a driving force for long-term development, Hue needs to continue to innovate and be creative in exploiting historical and cultural values.

With unique values ​​and constant efforts, Hue can completely affirm its position on the world tourism map, and at the same time become a model for other localities in developing tourism from exploiting local historical and cultural values.

Source: https://laodong.vn/lao-dong-cuoi-tuan/hue-va-hanh-trinh-cat-canh-bang-di-san-van-hoa-1483234.ldo