The Imperial Citadel sparkles at night during an art performance.

When the Royal Palace lights up

Whenever the Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center organizes nighttime art programs, the Hue Imperial Citadel becomes overcrowded with tens of thousands of people coming to enjoy them. During art programs like "Hue's Soundscape," the 3D light show "Hue by Light," and the Hue Festival, the ancient space transforms into a magical stage of light, art, and memory. Ngo Mon Gate and Thai Hoa Palace courtyard become focal points, where audiences immerse themselves in a unique cultural atmosphere, with light shows combined with royal court music .

With its meticulously staged art programs, the Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center offers locals and tourists unique artistic performances that blend traditional court music with contemporary art, combined with reenactments of Nguyen Dynasty rituals. These programs demonstrate the potential for creatively utilizing the Imperial Palace space at night, contributing to the promotion and enhancement of the Citadel's appeal.

Among the thousands of spectators, many tourists from all over the country and even foreign visitors showed their enjoyment, joining in the vibrant atmosphere of the program. Mr. Hoang Thanh Long, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, shared: “I had visited the Imperial Citadel during the day before, but this was my first time here at night and I found the atmosphere of the Imperial Palace completely different. The solemn ramparts became magical and magnificent!”

For Andrew Philips, a British tourist staying in Hue, the experience of spending a night at the Imperial Palace was one of the reasons he decided to stay in the ancient capital. He said: “The combination of heritage and modern art is truly captivating. I think Hue should organize programs like this more often. It makes Hue culture more vibrant and accessible to foreign tourists.”

Remove bottlenecks

Despite its potential, the idea of ​​opening the Imperial Citadel at night still faces many obstacles. This is not due to a lack of ideas or determination, but because "many issues need to be prepared and coordinated," as shared by Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center.

Hue lacks attractive nighttime tourism products and services that can retain tourists and encourage them to spend. To create a truly engaging show or service, investment is needed in infrastructure, lighting, technical and logistical equipment, and especially human resources. Meanwhile, the daytime workload for the Center's staff is already very heavy.

“This is a matter we are very concerned about. The center has a theater, a team of artists, and a lot of experience in organizing events, but for the program to be sustainable, it must offer visitors a truly unique and attractive experience based on exploiting historical values. Previously, the events organized by the center were usually free, so the audience was large. But to maintain them regularly and turn them into an economic product requires many accompanying conditions,” Mr. Trung said.

Beyond just organizational issues, the exploitation of the Imperial Citadel at night also involves legal factors and mechanisms for managing public assets. As a World Heritage site, the Imperial Citadel's activities and development within this space are subject to numerous regulations and mechanisms. All activities must adhere to the principle of "both preservation and promotion," where the boundary between these two goals is quite delicate. This is also a frequently discussed issue in heritage forums nationwide.

Mr. Trung explained: “Shows in many other destinations are usually organized by businesses. They have ticketing systems, incorporate them into tours and routes, and performance spaces are not restricted by heritage regulations, but Hue is different. The Center also wants to provide unique experiential services for tourists. Previously, the Center organized Royal Palace Night programs, but they were not sustainable because there was no stable source of customers, and the approach was still administrative.”

Currently, the Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center is striving to find capable partners to organize socially-oriented night tourism products. The goal is to develop shows and artistic performances that can be sustained regularly and for the long term. Mr. Trung said: “From a heritage economics perspective, the product must be interesting, attractive, included in tours and routes, and sell tickets regularly to be viable. To organize sustainable shows, we need a partner with sufficient capacity, experience, a customer base, a ticketing system, and media coverage… Especially, that partner must have a potential customer base. We are trying to overcome bottlenecks and develop available resources.”

Once the issue of opening the Imperial Citadel at night is satisfactorily resolved, Hue will have another distinctive night tourism product, contributing to extending the length of stay and increasing spending by tourists, in line with the spirit of developing the night economy that the tourism industry is aiming for.

Text and photos: MINH HIỀN

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/dai-noi-hue-cho-dem-sang-den-156038.html