The Hue Monuments Conservation Center welcomed the 1 millionth tourist to UNESCO-recognized Hue, the country’s former capital, on Tuesday.  Half of the arrivals are international tourists.

More than 500,399 international tourists visited Hue in the first half of 2014.

In the first six months, the number of tourists to Hue rose by 3.16 percent compared to the same period last year.

The revenue from ticket sales reached VND74.5 billion (US$3.51 million), which accounts for 59.6 percent of this year’s target.

On Tuesday, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center greeted and gave a VND10 million ($469.60) award to Ho Mai Phuong, from Hanoi, the city’s one-millionth tourist in 2014.

The center also announced a tourism promotion program for the second half of 2014.

The Golden Hue Heritage Tourism Month will run from September 2 to 30, while the Golden Hue Tourism Week will run from December 24 to 30, offering discount programs and added services to both domestic and international tourists.

The center will work with Le Quy Duong Co. to launch new services such as “Ngu thuyen song Huong” (Royal Boats on Huong River) at Nghinh Luong Dinh wharf and “Khong gian dien xuong Tu Phuong Vo Su” (Tu Phuong Vo Su Traditional Music Venue) at Tu Phuong Vo Su edifice, to the north of Hue Royal Palace and Long Quan Royal Boat, which is anchoring at the wharf.

The venues will host a variety of activities including “nha nhac cung dinh” (court music), “ca Hue thinh phong” (Hue chamber music), folk games, poem writing and reciting, and a royal tea ceremony.

There will also be a workshop for kids on royal music performance, modeled after a similar program from the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).

Informal workshops featuring researchers, exhibits and traditional music performances will also be held.

Princes and princesses of the Nguyen Dynasty, the country’s last monarchy, studied at Tu Phuong Vo Su edifice.

A few years ago, the edifice was transformed into a café, which caused strong reactions from local researchers and residents.

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