Hue Ancient Capital - Towards a green and sustainable heritage city.
Amidst the modern pace of life, Hue still retains its own gentleness with the sound of temple bells, moss-covered tiled roofs or the incense of the ancient capital. And amidst silent efforts, the city is gradually moving towards a “green Hue”: no plastic waste, no emissions - a sustainable heritage destination of Vietnam.
From waste to green roof
With nearly 20 years of working for non-governmental organizations related to community and environmental development, witnessing the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh has spread the "green lifestyle" through the Hue Eco Homestay recycled accommodation model. This can be considered one of the leading points calling for joint action from daily activities, habits, and small lifestyles to contribute to reducing the amount of waste released into the environment, while moving towards responsible tourism .
Environmental education through stories about recycling.
Every item in the homestay becomes a small lesson in recycling and creativity: the bed is made from “eco-bricks” made from plastic bottles stuffed with nylon bags, the bedsheet is made from scraps of fabric, old jeans are turned into aprons, and the wooden chairs are reborn from an old ladder that her family hastily built during the flood in 1999. Notably, she also mobilized more than 4,000 eco-bricks from schools to build a small library for students in coastal areas.
The story about a table and chairs set made from an old ladder.
“I want to educate the environment from my own home, so that when visitors come here, they can both relax and learn to love nature more and live more responsibly,” Quynh Anh shared.
Hue Eco Homestay is now like a living exhibition, where each object tells a story of creativity, thrift and gratitude for the environment. International visitors coming here are impressed by the beauty of the ancient capital, touched by the sustainable and humane spirit of Hue people.
Like a living exhibition, where each object tells a story of creativity, thrift and gratitude for the environment.
“Modern users - not afraid to reduce plastic”
Not only dedicated individuals, but also tourism and service businesses in Hue are changing dramatically. Most hotels, restaurants, cafes, and travel agencies have participated in training courses on “Reducing plastic in the tourism industry” organized by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the TVA Project.
One of the inspiring initiatives is the “Green Hue Alliance” initiated by Ms. Truong Thi My Dung - a network that brings together hundreds of businesses to act for the environment. Recently, a campaign connecting about 50 coffee shops in the city was organized for 3 months, conveying the message: “Thank you plastic cups for the convenience, but we choose sustainability”. Specifically, when customers bring their own bottles to buy water, they will receive a 10-20% discount.
Campaign to bring personal water bottles to buy water.
Not stopping there, at the Hue Book & Culture Space in an old French villa, Ms. Dung and her colleagues also organize seminars, exhibitions and talkshows about Net Zero, recycling and sustainable living. “This is a long journey because the conversion also costs more. Many businesses are not prepared to reduce plastic waste because plastic is still too convenient. But we should not give up because the values of being kind to the environment will be long-term benefits,” Ms. Dung said.
Towards Vietnam's "Green Heritage Destination"
According to Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Tram - Director of Hue City Department of Tourism, the city is promoting infrastructure planning and tourism space in the direction of "smart heritage urban areas, limiting emissions, increasing green areas and encouraging the community to participate in environmental protection".
Accordingly, the city focuses on developing eco-tourism products and tours associated with the community and agriculture in localities such as Thuy Bieu, Phu Mau, Nam Dong, A Luoi, Quang Dien, Phong Dien, etc. Priority experiences are: cycling to visit Phuoc Tich ancient village, Kim Long - Thuy Bieu traditional garden house tour, SUP rowing on Tam Giang lagoon, visiting traditional craft villages, exploring green tourism routes by electric car, bicycle; and the program "One day of Net Zero tourism in Hue".
At the grassroots level, more than 70% of hotels in Hue have implemented at least one plastic reduction solution: using glass bottles, applying separate classification of milk cartons in the waste treatment process to support recycling and reduce plastic waste lost to the environment; lending guests reusable raincoats instead of plastic ones.
Hue City is promoting infrastructure planning and tourism space in the direction of "smart heritage urban areas, limiting emissions, increasing green areas and encouraging the community to participate in environmental protection".
In the past 10 months, Hue city has welcomed more than 5.3 million visitors (an increase of more than 65% over the same period in 2024), with more than 2 million overnight guests (an increase of 22%), with total tourism revenue of about 10 trillion VND (an increase of 60%) over the same period last year. The impressive figures above have demonstrated that the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025 is a "golden opportunity" to bring Hue culture and tourism in particular, and Vietnam in general, to become a "leading bird" reaching out to the world; contributing to enhancing Hue's position on the Vietnamese and international tourism map.
Launch of plastic reduction mural route.
Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Tram - Director of Hue City Department of Tourism said: "Hue is preserving and promoting core values such as heritage - relics, traditional craft villages and unique cuisine to create its own attraction. The good news is that these values are very close to young people, because they are both experiential and easy to share on social networks. The consistent goal of Hue City is to strive to become a "Green Heritage Destination" of Vietnam, a tourist destination that not only brings sustainable experiences but also contributes to the conservation of nature and heritage for domestic and international tourists".
Launching the plastic-reducing mural route - when the community joins hands.
Hue - a place that once captivated tourists with its ancient tranquility - is now telling a new story about a city that loves nature and lives kindly towards the environment.
Source: https://vtv.vn/co-do-hue-huong-toi-thanh-pho-di-san-xanh-va-ben-vung-100251114155600266.htm
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