Hue plans to join UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2025

The city is aiming to submit the dossier in June 2025, said Vo Le Nhat, Chairman of Hue People's Committee.

The city intends to organise seminars, workshops, and an international conference to gather feedback for its UNESCO application. These will includes two seminars and one workshop in August and September 2024, culminating in an International Conference themed "Hue - Towards a creative city in the field of cuisine" at the end of 2024.

The city will also establish a working group, conduct surveys, collect data, and invite domestic and foreign experts to provide reports and provide advice on Hue's UCCN application.

Hue will also focus on promoting communication as it compiles the dossier, with activities such as a logo design contest and a bilingual website to post progress updates.

Com hap la sen (Lotus leaf steamed rice), a traditional Hue dish. Photo: toquoc.vn

After submitting the dossier, Hue will publish books and documentaries about the city's cuisine, set up culinary spaces, hold cooking performances featuring folk and royal dishes.

According to Hue officials, the city boasts 1,700 dishes and drinks across three categories, namely folk, royal, and vegetarian cuisine. Many tourists are drawn to Hue to explore its culinary offerings. Alongside royal rice and feasts, visitors seek traditional dishes like bun bo Hue , com hen, banh canh, spring rolls, banh potato, and various sweet soups, all prepared by residents for an authentic experience.

The plan to position Hue's cuisine brand started in 2019 within the framework of the "Hue - Culinary Capital" project, aiming to introduce and promote the quintessential values ​​of Hue cuisine to domestic and foreign visitors.

Parallel with developing the "Hue - Culinary Capital" brand, a heritage dossier for Hue's cuisine is also being drawn up. The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has been working on the dossier since 2020, with a book of 100 poems teaching people how to prepare 100 typical Hue dishes.

In 2023, at a seminar themed "UNESCO Creative Cities Network and the ability to transform cultural resources in Hue", Phan Ngoc Tho, standing Deputy Secretary of Thua Thien-Hue Party Committee, said that cuisine had been chosen as the field for Hue to join the UCCN. "Hue chose cuisine because it is an important part of our culture, meeting the needs of society, while creating opportunities to build an economic growth model associated with developing cultural and human resources, and protecting the environment," he said.

The UCCN was born in 2004, with seven fields including design, cuisine, literature, media arts, music, film, and crafts and folk art. To date, more than 350 cities from over 100 countries worldwide have joined.

Vietnam has three cities recognised by the UCCN, including Hanoi for design (2019), Hoian for crafts and folk art, and Dalat for music (both 2023).

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