Hue is directly under the Central Government, the only city in Vietnam with 8 heritages.
Báo Dân trí•05/12/2024
(Dan Tri) - From the beginning of 2025, Hue will officially become the 6th centrally-governed city of Vietnam. This is the only city in Vietnam with 8 heritages recognized by UNESCO.
The resolution to establish Hue city under the central government was just passed by the National Assembly on November 30. According to this resolution, Hue city under the central government was established on the basis of the entire natural area of more than 4,900 km2 and population of more than 1.2 million people of Thua Thien Hue province. The resolution stated that the establishment of Hue city under the central government will create new influence and momentum for the development of this locality, better exploiting its potentials and strengths, helping to preserve and promote the value of heritage and cultural identity.
One destination, 8 heritages
According to the Project to establish Hue City under the Central Government, in the process of building and developing the country, Thua Thien Hue has always held an important role and position, helping to connect the three regions of the North - Central - South; has a long history and culture, formed and developed through the flow of nearly 720 years of the land of Thuan Hoa - Phu Xuan - Hue; contains the quintessence and symbolic values of the nation's intelligence and civilization. Hue was once the capital of the Tay Son Dynasty (1788-1801) and the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty for 143 years (1802-1945). Hue is the only locality in Vietnam and Southeast Asia with 8 heritages recognized by UNESCO (Photo: Hoang Quy). The project identifies Thua Thien Hue as a land of culture, a land of outstanding people, and one of the important cities of Vietnam. The cultural, religious, and architectural heritages of Hue are of great significance, representing a period of national development, with their own characteristics compared to other localities in the country as well as other countries. The project clearly states that this is the only locality in Vietnam and Southeast Asia with 8 heritages recognized by UNESCO, belonging to 3 different types, including tangible, intangible, and documentary heritages. Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, once wrote: "Hue is a special phenomenon in the history of urban development in Vietnam, from a remote land known as the "O Chau ac dia" to a new civilized urban center of the Vietnamese people on the way to open up land to the South in the 17th-18th centuries". "The greatest attraction of Hue is that through many historical changes, the city still preserves the image of a capital, "a masterpiece of urban architectural poetry" with hundreds of sophisticated, beautiful, rich and diverse works. That is the main factor that makes up the characteristics of Hue, the foundation for Hue to become the cultural and tourist center of the whole country", Professor, Dr. Truong Quoc Binh, former Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism) described in a seminar. The work of preserving, restoring and embellishing Hue heritage has reached a sustainable level (Photo: Hue Monuments Conservation Center). According to the leader of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province, most researchers have assessed that Hue city is a harmonious combination of human factors, architecture and natural landscape, along with many types of art, festivals, royal cuisine, folklore, and traditions that have been restored and promoted. Thanks to that, according to this person, Hue is also known by the titles: a destination of 8 heritages, a typical Festival city of Vietnam, an ASEAN cultural city, an ASEAN environmentally sustainable city, an ASEAN clean tourism city and a national Green city. "In the urban space for heritage, culture, and relic complexes recognized by UNESCO, everything remains intact over time. Historical architectural works are increasingly beautified, helping to perfect the cultural picture and heritage of the ancient capital," said Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province.
Difficulties and challenges when becoming a national heritage city
The Chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province said that when becoming a centrally-run city, there are many issues that Hue needs to solve, in which the biggest challenge is to ensure harmony between preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage and economic development trends in the context of urban development. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee (Photo: Ngoc Hieu). "In the direction of conservation, development and the balance between the two concepts, Thua Thien Hue has been changing. What belongs to the heritage, we preserve and embellish to develop a unique green, ecological urban space next to the Huong River. That urban space is considered a rare and special value in the world. Many people affirm that Hue people are very lucky to live and breathe in an atmosphere rich in cultural ecology, the desire of all developed countries on a global scale," said Mr. Phuong. Hue ensures harmony between preserving and promoting cultural heritage values and socio-economic development trends (Photo: Dinh Hoang). According to the leaders of Thua Thien Hue province, the model of a centrally-governed city is oriented to develop on the basis of its unique historical, cultural, and architectural landscape characteristics. Hue will develop in a harmonious and sustainable direction, reducing the pressure of population concentration in urban areas, limiting intervention and impact on traditional relics and architectural landscapes; promoting investment attraction, always steadfast in the development goal associated with preserving landscapes, environment and preserving heritage and cultural values. "The work of propagating and educating people about the importance of preserving heritage and culture is also a challenge. The story of Thua Thien Hue is not only about becoming a centrally-governed city, but also about the journey to find a sustainable development model, where cultural heritage is protected and promoted in modern development," said Mr. Phuong.
How to solve difficulties and challenges?
The leaders of Thua Thien Hue province said that in the development process, the locality always focuses on urban development planning, shaping and clearly defining development spaces, urban compaction areas, protecting landscapes and heritage, as well as areas focusing on developing functional areas. According to Mr. Phuong, Hue has planned and built urban spaces without affecting areas with relics. This is to ensure synchronous development between heritage conservation and modern infrastructure construction. Thuan An coastal road and seaport overpass project (Photo: Vi Thao). According to the head of the Thua Thien Hue provincial government, based on the planning scheme and development scenario, Hue mobilizes maximum capital sources to invest in synchronous infrastructure, especially urban infrastructure in a modern direction. Key projects, such as the coastal road, Nguyen Hoang street and the overpass over the Huong river, To Huu street extended to Phu Bai airport, etc., are focused on accelerating progress, creating spillover, connection, opening up new space and development momentum. In particular, according to Mr. Phuong, Thua Thien Hue focuses on completing the project of relocating residents, clearing the ground of Area 1 of Hue Citadel, urban embellishment projects, etc.; continuing to implement projects to restore and preserve Hue ancient capital relics and seriously degraded relics. "The province will increase the mobilization of resources for socio-economic development, shift the economic structure towards services, tourism, industry, and agriculture in line with local advantages; identify tourism as a key economic sector, information technology and communications as a breakthrough, and high-tech industry and agriculture as the foundation," he said. Hue is located on the East-West economic corridor with a fairly synchronous transportation system (Photo: Vi Thao). According to the Government's Project to establish Hue City under the Central Government, Thua Thien Hue is identified as the gateway of the East-West economic corridor, located between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the two most developed economic centers of the country. Together with Da Nang, Thua Thien Hue has an important position in the key economic region of the Central region,... Regarding this issue, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province said that the province will continue to improve the effectiveness of regional development linkages; expand cooperation and foreign relations, serving local socio-economic development; linking economic development with cultural development and implementing social progress and equity; consolidating its position as a large and unique cultural center of the country.
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