Opportunity for Hue tourism to break through and develop comprehensively

Growth has not matched potential

Hue City has an important strategic position, a bridge from the North to the South, with a unique and distinctive cultural, historical and cultural tradition. Hue is also the gateway to the East-West economic corridor, a connecting point in the journey of the "Central Heritage Road". Hue - the ancient capital, which used to be the political and cultural center of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty - still carries within itself cultural and historical values ​​that have stood the test of time. "With 6 heritages recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as tangible and intangible cultural heritages of humanity and 2 co-owned heritages, Hue is proud to be not only a tourist destination but also a place to preserve important cultural values ​​of Vietnam", affirmed Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee.

In addition to its rich culture and historical depth, Hue is also a land with unique mountains and rivers with many magnificent natural heritages that captivate people's hearts, such as: Huong River, Ngu Mountain, Lang Co Bay, Bach Ma National Park... The values ​​of natural landscapes combined with "Hue culture", "Hue people" and attractive tourism products have created a colorful cultural and tourism picture, attracting domestic and foreign tourists to visit and explore.

Tourists visit Kien Trung Palace (Hue Imperial Citadel)

In 2024, the total number of tourists to Hue City is estimated to reach 4 million (of which, domestic tourists are about 2.7 million, accounting for about 69%), total revenue from tourists is estimated to reach 8,500 billion VND. Although there is growth compared to 2023 (up 26%), objectively speaking, Hue tourism has not yet met expectations compared to the potential of a locality rich in tourism resources.

Many experts and tourism managers say that there are many reasons why Hue has not been able to "retain" tourists. Specifically, this locality has built many tourism products and services but the quality is not attractive, especially night tourism products and entertainment services, high-class accommodation facilities. Some new products on eco-tourism, community tourism, lagoon tourism are still operating on a small scale, without synchronous and close connections. The locality also does not have policies to attract strategic and branded investors; infrastructure and technical facilities are not synchronized...

“Tourism in Hue as well as the North Central provinces is greatly affected by seasonal factors, especially the rainy season. Along with that, the “Central Heritage Road” really brings many advantages to develop tourism for this locality, but at the same time, it also creates pressure in “dividing visitors” due to the attraction of many other heritages,” said Ms. Dinh Thanh Loan, Chairwoman of the Tourism Community Development Connection Council - Asian Tourism Development Institute.

Strong breakthrough opportunity

On January 1, 2025, Hue City officially became a centrally-governed city. This is an important historical event, an opportunity for Hue to become one of the major, unique centers of Southeast Asia in terms of culture, tourism and specialized healthcare in the spirit of Resolution No. 54-NQ/TW of the Politburo.

Becoming a centrally-governed city, Hue City has identified tourism as a key economic sector and an economic pillar. In order for tourism to achieve breakthrough growth, towards a sustainable and effective future, the city has proposed specific strategies; focusing on investing in tourism infrastructure, developing diverse tourism products, promoting promotion and communication, encouraging public-private partnership, focusing on human resource training, organizing cultural events and festivals, developing community tourism, and enhancing security and safety for tourists.

Recently (March 25), Hue City was honored to be the locality chosen by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to host the National Tourism Year 2025. With the theme "Hue - Ancient Capital, New Opportunities", the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025 combined with a series of events of the 4-season festival taking place during the year is expected to bring a strong breakthrough to tourism in the ancient capital. Accordingly, in addition to the events and festivals held annually in the direction of Hue Festival, Hue City will host about 70 unique and attractive programs, events and festivals on an inter-provincial, national and international scale, focusing on organizing well the Spring Festival "Ancient Capital Spring", Summer Festival "Shining Imperial City", Autumn Festival "Hue in Autumn" and Winter Festival "Hue Winter".

According to Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Tram, Director of Hue City Department of Tourism, in 2025, the local tourism industry is expected to welcome from 5 million to 5.5 million visitors; of which, domestic visitors account for about 70-80%; revenue is estimated at 11,000-12,000 billion VND, creating momentum for growth, striving to welcome about 12 million visitors by 2030. To achieve the above goals, Hue City advocates investing in the construction of key tourism development projects, focusing on repositioning suitable products, including building more high-class, professional products on health care, new experience services, creativity, associated with local advantages; strengthening tourism promotion, applying digital technology, international communication to promote the image of Hue. Along with that, Hue City focuses on encouraging investment in tourism and services, opening up, attracting investment, and waiting for the attention and cooperation from large, reputable units and enterprises in the service and tourism industry...

“We are targeting key markets such as Australia, South Korea and European countries through digital media campaigns and partnerships with influential players in the tourism industry,” said Gavin Herholdt, CEO of Laguna Lang Co Integrated Resort. “We are currently expanding our scale, upgrading our rooms, and are ready to offer new culinary experiences to meet the growing demands of visitors. This is a great opportunity for Hue to affirm its position as a leading tourist destination with rich heritage, unique culture and magnificent, beautiful natural landscapes.”

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/thoi-co-de-du-lich-hue-but-pha-phat-trien-toan-dien-2025032810401666.htm