The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has announced a range of cultural and tourism activities taking place in the UNESCO-recognised imperial citadel of Hue in central Thua Thien-Hue province in April and May. The Hue Traditional Craft Festival will take place from April 28 to May 5, where 61 craft villages and facilities both in and outside the province will participate. For the first time, the craft festival will feature activities such as running, cycling, photo and painting exhibitions, and art performances.
Additionally, as part of the activities within the Hue Festival, an international hot balloon festival and a lotus festival are also scheduled. Thua Thien-Hue province received over two million visitors in 2020, up nearly 190% against 2021, and earned more than 4.5 trillion VND ($190 million USD) from the sector, surpassing the set target. The province aims to welcome from 3-3.5 million holidaymakers this year, of whom 70-80% are domestic, and gross about 6-7 trillion VND in revenue. To that end, the province has focused on agriculture-based tourism, eco-tourism, golf tourism and medical tourism, among other sustainable tourism products. Hue is home to five heritages recognised by UNESCO.