Over the April 29 - May 3, 2026 holiday marking Vietnam's Liberation Day and Labor Day, Hue City welcomed about 610,000 visitors, with tourism revenue estimated at 1.35 trillion dong (about US$51 million, roughly 8 billion yen). While big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City hit a ceiling from holiday crowding, the central ancient capital of Hue is emerging as a new destination for holiday tourism. Behind this is a shift in tourism strategy: the switch to a four-season Hue Festival format, the "Mystical Imperial Palace" nighttime lighting program at the citadel, and the restoration of a royal cuisine space. This article lays out where Hue tourism stands in 2026 and concrete ways for Japanese travelers to enjoy it.
The starting point of the 2026 holiday — Hue City's "610,000 visitors, about 8 billion yen in tourism revenue"
According to a report by the Vietnam News Agency's Vietnam Plus in early May 2026, Hue City welcomed about 610,000 visitors during the April 29 - May 3 holiday, a sharp increase in visitor numbers year on year. The cumulative total for January-April topped 2.6 million, up 30.3% year on year. Tourism revenue also reached 4.478 trillion dong (about US$170 million, roughly 26.5 billion yen) in the first quarter, a record 71.4% increase year on year.
The city's tourism department analyzed that "the four-season format of Hue Festival, launched in 2026, and the nighttime programs staged at the citadel drove the surge in holiday visitors." In particular, the "Mystical Imperial Palace" nighttime program held April 25-28, though free to attend, combined 3D projection mapping, recreated traditional rituals, and torchlight illumination, drawing attention from overseas media as well.
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
Director of Hue City's tourism departmentsaid 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
The 2026 holiday figures — 610,000 visitors and about 8 billion yen in tourism revenue — show that Hue has moved up to become "the third destination after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City." The shift to a four-season festival format has added reasons to visit year-round, and the three pillars of the nighttime citadel program, royal cuisine, and an international arts festival are strengthening visitors' motivation to stay longer.
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」
