Art performances at the opening ceremony recreate the glamour and breathtaking beauty of the former imperial city.

With its 10 versions over the past 22 years, the Hue festival has become popular among festivals around the world with its position and prestige rising internationally.

Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Thua Thien-Hue provincial Department of Culture and Sports, said: "Since the late 1990s, we have surveyed festival models around the world to develop Hue as a festival city. Culture and heritages are the city’s biggest advantages.  We have focused on exploiting Hue’s heritage potential to enrich the Hue festival and make it a show of cultures, cultural convergence, and cultural heritages and spread cultural value. This is the way we promote and develop a brand for the Hue festival." 

The Hue festival has become a venue for arts and cultural exchanges between countries and for promoting the special cultural values of Vietnam and Hue city. This year the festival expanded its stages to various places along the Huong river. The performances and stages were designed to increase interaction between artists and spectators to make the Hue festival a bridge of culture and arts.

Nguyen Ngoc Linh, Deputy Director of the Hue Drama and Singing Theater, said: "Hue embodies traditional cultural values since the Nguyen dynasty. To make Hue a festival city of Vietnam, artists need to make full use of local traditional values which are the resources to build the brand of the Hue festival and make it unique." 

This year, for the first time, the festival will be held throughout the year. Cultural, arts, and festival activities will be organized in a series format to make them tourist products. The 4-season festival is expected to make Hue a festival city and a major cultural hub of Southeast Asia.