The People’s Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Province announced on Monday that visitors to the Imperial City located within the citadel of Hue in the namesake city, located in central Vietnam, will be entitled to free admission during evening visits at the upcoming Hue Festival 2022.

The Hue Festival 2022 is slated to take place from June 26 to 30 with eight major programs and many sideline events, the provincial People’s Committee said at a press conference on Monday.

During the press briefing, its organizers announced the adjustments to the opening hours of the Imperial City, which took effect on the same day.

The venue will be open to visitors from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm during the festive week, except June 28 to 30, when the opening hours will be extended to 9:00 pm.

Visitors can take a tour of the Imperial City -- from the Meridian Gate (also known as the South Gate or Ngo Mon in Vietnamese, which is the main entrance to the ancient city) to The Mieu (the ancestral temple to Vietnam’s emperors), the yard of Thai Hoa Palace, the halls called Ta Vu and Huu Vu (left and right halls) leading to the New Year’s banquet hall, Thieu Phuong Royal Garden, the Home Affairs Department complex, and Hien Nhon Gate -- for free from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm during those three days.

A similar night tour was piloted in 2017, but unfavorable weather conditions and lower-than-expected visitor numbers led to its suspension.

Beside the free admission, the special art programs organized at the Hue Festival 2022 will be free of charge, according to provincial deputy chairman Nguyen Thanh Binh, except the opening show at the Ngo Mon Square.

The festival is expected to gather nearly 400 performers of 15 domestic troupes and international art troupes from seven countries, as well as attract about 200,000 tourists, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

It will also include a street carnival and a musical program featuring famous songs by late composer Trinh Cong Son.

Other activities will be organized before, during, and after the festival, including a food fair, a hot air balloon fiesta, the Vietnam Summer Fair 2022, and a SUP (Standup Paddle Boarding) competition.

Those events will take place in various locations along the province’s iconic Huong (Perfume) River.

The Hue Imperial Citadel, one of the major architectural relics from the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last monarchy, in Hue, was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. 

Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam for over 100 years, is home to five UNESCO heritage sites, including the ancient citadel relic complex (a World Cultural Heritage Site), Hue royal court music (an intangible cultural heritage item), Nguyen Dynasty’s wood blocks (a documentary heritage item), Nguyen Dynasty’s royal administrative documents (part of the Asia-Pacific Register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program), and literature on Hue royal architecture (another documentary heritage), according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

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