Hue has been chosen to host the 2025 National Tourism Year after its designation as a centrally governed city. On December 31, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, in collaboration with the Thua Thien-Hue Province People’s Committee, held a press conference in Hue City to unveil the event and the Hue Festival.
The 2025 National Tourism Year in Hue, with the theme “Hue – The Ancient Capital, New Opportunities,” will be organized on national and international scales alongside the Hue Festival 2025.
The activities for the 2025 National Tourism Year and Hue Festival will center around four main themes: the spring festival “Spring of the Ancient Capital,” the summer festival “The Imperial City Shines,” the autumn festival “Hue in Autumn,” and the winter festival “Winter in Hue,” featuring over 170 national and provincial events, according to the Thanh Nien news site.
The 2025 National Tourism Year is expected to drive a breakthrough in Hue’s tourism, positioning the city for growth on the foundation of “The Ancient Capital – New Opportunities” in the country’s new era.
First babies of 2025 delivered at Tu Du Hospital
At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2025, Tu Du Hospital in HCMC welcomed seven newborns—four boys and three girls. Five were delivered naturally, while two were born via C-section, according to the Tuoi Tre news site.
Joy and hope filled the families of newborns as they welcomed their babies at this special moment. The hospital also arranged gifts to honor the first little citizens of 2025.
“These babies born at this moment are truly special, as they are the first citizens of 2025. They also represent the next generation, which will play a crucial role in shaping the country’s future,” said Dr. Vuong Dinh Bao Anh, deputy director of Tu Du Hospital.
For this year’s New Year’s Eve shift, Tu Du Hospital assigned more than 40 doctors and nearly 200 healthcare staff to care and monitor patients and mothers.
Art exhibition raises funds for needy artists in HCMC
The HCMC Fine Arts Association hosted its annual Compassion Exhibition from December 31, 2024, to January 6, 2025. This year, 137 artists contributed their works to the exhibition, with organizers inviting philanthropists and collectors to purchase the pieces to raise funds for veteran artists in need, according to Tuoi Tre news.
The exhibition featured 175 paintings and sculptures created using various materials such as lacquer, oil, acrylic, and watercolor.
Nguyen Xuan Tien, chairman of the HCMC Fine Arts Association, shared that the exhibition’s artworks reflect the artists’ deep commitment to meaningful causes at the close of the year. He highlighted, “For the past 20 years, the spirit of sharing, connecting, and spreading goodwill for the community has been unwavering, demonstrating the responsibility of our members toward the community.”
Joining hands to mend eroded beach in Danang
A 500-meter-long section of My Khe Beach in Son Tra District, Phuoc My Ward, Danang City, was severely eroded because of high sea waves. On January 2, over 200 people from the beach rescue teams and the management boards of the Son Tra Peninsula, the beaches, and the agriculture and rural development investment projects were mobilized to mend the eroded beach.
Participants were divided into several groups to pour sand into bags; these sand bags were then put into steel nests, 1.5m x 2m each; the steel nests, containing three layers of sand bags each, were placed one onto the other to make a long line along the beach to prevent it from being eroded further by high waves.
Phan Dinh Duc, vice director of the management board of agriculture and rural development projects of Danang, told nld.com.vn that this was a temporary measure to prevent a section on My Khe Beach from being eroded. He added that in the near future, a concrete breakwater should be built to better protect the beach. It is reported that My Khe has been selected as one of the most attractive beaches on the planet.
