2026年4月29日〜5月3日のベトナム解放記念日・労働節連休、フエ市は約61万人の観光客を迎え入れ、観光収入は推定1兆3,500億ドン（約5,100万米ドル、約80億円）を記録した。ハノイ・ホーチミンといった大都市が連休混雑で頭打ちとなるなか、中部古都フエが連休観光の新たな受け皿に台頭している。背景には、フエ祭の年4季開催型への転換、王宮夜間ライトアップ「神秘の宮廷」プログラム、宮廷料理空間の復元など、観光戦略の地殻変動がある。本記事では2026年フエ観光の現在地と、日本人旅行者にとっての具体的な楽しみ方を整理する。
2026年連休の起点──フエ市「61万人・観光収入約80億円」
ベトナム通信社Vietnam Plusが2026年5月初旬に報じたところによると、フエ市は4月29日から5月3日の連休期間中に約61万人の観光客を受け入れ、前年同期比で観光客数が大幅に伸びた。1〜4月の累計では260万人超、対前年30.3%増を記録。観光収入も第1四半期に4兆4,780億ドン（約170百万米ドル＝約265億円）に達し、対前年比で71.4%増という記録的な数字となった。
同市観光局は「2026年から始まったフエ祭の年4季開催型と、王宮を舞台にした夜間プログラムが連休観光客の集客を押し上げた」と分析。とくに4月25〜28日に開催された「神秘の宮廷（Mystical Imperial Palace）」夜間プログラムは、無料公開でありながら3D映像マッピング・伝統儀式の再現・松明照明など最新演出を組み合わせ、海外メディアからも注目された。
Hue Festival 2026: the full picture of the shift to a "four-seasons festival"
Hue Festival has been an international arts festival held once every two years since 1992, but from 2026 it converts to a four-seasons-a-year format of "spring, summer, autumn, winter." About 80 events are arranged throughout the year, structured to disperse the concentration of tourists and extend length of stay. The biggest highlight of 2026, the "summer festival week," is held June 13 to 18, bringing together arts groups from around the world, grand spectacles, and street parades.
The spring festival kicks off in April, with the centerpieces being the "Imperial Cuisine Space" recreated within the royal palace (April 25 to 26) and the "Royal Banquet Night" on April 29 and May 1. Nguyen dynasty-era imperial cuisine is recreated along with the plating, tableware, and manners of the time, served in combination with court music and dance. The summer festival continues with a structure including the "Dien Hue Nam Festival," orchid, bonsai, and viewing-stone exhibitions from three regions, the VnExpress Marathon Hue, a Hue cuisine experience program, and royal banquets.
Table of major events at the 2026 Hue Festival spring and summer festivals
| Itinerary | Event name | Location | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/25-4/26 | Imperial Cuisine Space | Hue Royal Palace | Paid (reservation required) |
| 4/25-4/28 | Mystical Imperial Palace nighttime program | Hue Royal Palace | Free |
| 4/29 | Royal Banquet Night, first night | Hue Royal Palace | Paid (reservation required) |
| 5/1 | Royal Banquet Night, second night | Hue Royal Palace | Paid (reservation required) |
| 4/29-5/3 | Liberation Day and Labor Day holiday tourism program | Various locations in the city | Varies by venue |
| 6/13-6/18 | International Arts Festival Week (main summer festival) | Various locations in the city | Mix of free and paid |
| During June | VnExpress Marathon Hue | Within Hue City | Entry fee from about 2,000 yen |
| During June | Orchid, bonsai, and viewing-stone exhibitions from three regions | Around the Hue Royal Palace | Free |
Reactions from locals and industry insiders
フエ市観光局長said in an interview with Vietnam Plus, "The 2026 holiday saw record-high accommodation occupancy rates. The shift to a four-seasons festival has leveled out holiday visitor draw and also contributes to stabilizing the annual income of tourism workers."
The cultural heritage management official at the Hue Royal Palacetold vietnam.vn, "In the Mystical Imperial Palace program, we fused traditional Ngo Mon Gate rites with the latest 3D mapping. At the nighttime palace, 95% of visitors were experiencing it for the first time, and the spread effect on social media was large too."
The manager of a long-established Hue hotelcommented, "Bookings from families of overseas expatriates living in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City doubled year on year. With positioning close to Kyoto's Gion Festival, it's drawing travelers oriented toward cultural experiences."The international attention on Vietnam's food cultureIt's a move linked to this too.
A Japanese traveler's view: heading to Hue "with the feel of going to Kyoto"
During the holiday, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are crowded with tourists, and hotel rates jump two- to threefold. Hue, meanwhile, is a mid-size city in the central region, reachable from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by a 60-to-80-minute domestic flight at 5,000 to 10,000 yen one way. For Japanese, it's a sense of distance close to "going from Tokyo to Kyoto."
The nighttime free palace program is an exquisite plan letting you experience a World Heritage site while avoiding the daytime heat. The 3D mapping staging is photogenic, and the reenactment of the Ngo Mon Gate rites makes for a full-fledged cultural experience. Japanese-speaking hotels are few, but English-speaking guided tours are added during the holiday period, and imperial cuisine experience tours can also be booked with English interpretation.A Da Nang food tourCombined with this, a central-region tour of two nights in Da Nang plus one or two nights in Hue is becoming standard.
Ripple effects on the industry: mid-size cities incorporated into national strategy
In its tourism promotion measures announced in 2025, the Vietnamese government incorporated "strengthening the draw of mid-size ancient capitals and resorts outside Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City" into national strategy. Hue, Quy Nhon, and Nha Trang are positioned as "mid-tier city tourism hubs," and the strengthening of direct flight, night train, and express bus networks is advancing.Nha Trang holding a summer festivalThis too is part of that strategy, becoming, alongside Hue's shift to a four-seasons festival, a case symbolizing "city-dispersed tourism."
Mid-tier cities also make it easier to keep lodging costs down, with a quality stay possible even at a five-star hotel from 10,000 yen a night, and 6,000 to 8,000-odd yen at a four-star. The rate hikes during the holiday are also gentler than in big cities, a big advantage on the cost front too.
Hue travel: practical information summary
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Best season | February to April (before the rainy season) / June (main summer festival) |
| Main tourist sites | Hue Royal Palace (Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace) / Khai Dinh Tomb / Thien Mu Pagoda / Perfume River boat tour |
| Nighttime programs | Mystical Imperial Palace (held multiple times a year) / Royal Banquet Night (reservation required) |
| Access | About 70 minutes by domestic flight from Hanoi / about 80 minutes from Ho Chi Minh City / about 3 hours by car from Da Nang |
| Accommodation rates (four-star) | 6,000 to 10,000 yen during the holiday / 4,000 to 7,000 yen in normal periods |
| Imperial cuisine experience | 3,000 to 8,000 yen per person (reservation required, English interpretation available) |
| Royal palace admission | About 1,000 yen for adults / about 500 yen for children (some periods the nighttime program is free) |
| Major hotels | Banyan Tree Lang Co・Azerai La Residence・Pilgrimage Village |
| Essential preparation | Check nighttime program times / book the palace cuisine / parasol and hydration for the daytime |
Summary: build your next holiday around Hue as a "four-day, three-night" trip
61万人・観光収入約80億円という2026年連休の数字は、フエが「ハノイ・ホーチミンに次ぐ第3の旅先」へ昇格したことを示している。年4季フェスティバル化により年間を通じて訪問理由が増え、夜間王宮プログラム・宮廷料理・国際芸術祭の3本柱が観光客の滞在動機を強化する。
There are three concrete next actions. First, check the official site for the main summer festival on June 13 to 18 or the schedule of each seasonal festival within the year, and build a four-day, three-night stay timed to a nighttime program date. Second, secure a boutique hotel within walking distance of the palace or a four-star hotel along the Perfume River early (prices firm up two months before the holiday). Third, design a "Vietnam ancient capital plus beach tour" plan of two nights in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, plus two nights in Da Nang, plus two nights in Hue, and even first-time visitors can balance culture and nature.
Source
・Vietnam Plus「Hue unveils vibrant summer festival series to draw April holiday crowds」
・vietnam.vn「Hue Festival 2026 Summer Festival activities」
・Banyan Tree「Hue Festival 2026: A Local’s Guide to the 4-Season Celebration」
・vietnam.vn「Hue Imperial Citadel free night admission Mystical Palace program」
