A clearly emotional chairman of the newly endorsed centrally-run Huế City's People's Committee Nguyễn Văn Phương on the passing of the resolution to promote Huế. Photo courtesy of Huế City's Portal

The National Assembly officially passed a resolution promoting Huế City. It will now be a centrally-governed city, making it the sixth area to be designated this way, alongside Hà Nội, HCM City, Hải Phòng, Đà Nẵng and Cần Thơ.

The newly promoted Huế City will be under central administration on the basis of the existing province of Thừa Thiên-Huế covering a total area of approximately 4,950sq.km with a population of nearly 1.24 million.

Chairman of the newly promoted Huế City, Nguyễn Văn Phương talked to the media about the new resolution.

How do you feel about the promotion of Huế City in the list of six key centrally-run local areas?

It’s a perfect plan which has been built by great contribution of many, including the people, generations of leaders, experts from central agencies and relevant organisations over a long time. The resolution was passed with a high rate of agreement among deputies with more than 95 per cent.

I’m so happy to complete the target of upgrading Thừa Thiên-Huế Province to a higher status of a central government-run city, marking a significant milestone in the preservation and development of unique culture and heritage values.

A bird's eye view of Huế City. The National Assembly officially passed a resolution on the status and development of Huế City. Photo courtesy of Huế City's Portal

The new promotion will help Huế City make a powerful leap in socio-economic growth, speeding up the exploitation of the advantages of a strategic location and a key focus of different world heritage sites, contributing much better to the overall growth of the country and the central region.

It will also create opportunities for Huế to even better protect culture and heritage in terms of it growing into an environmentally-friendly and ‘smart’ urban area in the future. The newly promoted Huế City has more powers to make it a key centre of culture, tourism and hi-tech healthcare in ASEAN and a magnet for investment, improving the living standards of local people.

What are next steps of development for Huế after the promotion?

We have already mapped out a detailed plan for long-term development from the new status and had already acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead.

Manpower is one of the key factors in operating the new administration.

A series of new districts and wards will emerge, so manpower must be implemented logically with a high rate of effectiveness and to create a smooth way of working of the new local government.

Ngọ Môn, or Noon Gate, is one of the rich heritage features in Huế City. Huế City has been building a plan on sustainable development. VNS Photo Công Thành

What’s the most challenging aspect for Huế operating in the role of a new centrally-run administration?

Balancing economic development and conserving nature and culture solutions will be the hardest job for the new local government. Huế is a rich urban landscape of world heritage sites with various tangible and intangible value.

The city has preserved nearly 1,000 historical relics and is seen as unique within Việt Nam in building an international brand.

It has won countless awards, the cultural city of ASEAN, a sustainable city of ASEAN, or a ‘green’ urban city – one destination with eight world heritage sites. These brands will drive the commitment to preserve culture and heritage, while also being a bedrock for dramatic economic growth and a key driving force for the country.

Huế has been designed as a sustainable city built on a harmony of economic growth and culture preservation.

The city will ease the poor impacts of crowded population in the city's downtown – the focus of those world heritages – by designing sustainable solutions for the long term.

It means that Huế will always put cultural and heritage preservation as a priority, in making any decisions on any huge investment projects.

Improving awareness among the community in the preservation of culture and heritage is also a challenge for Huế.

We always keep an eye on urban planning, to reduce congestion in the strictly-protected heritage zone.

We will also plan a heritage core zone and buffer zone, tourism, industrial and farming zones will also need to be scrutinised by the community and the leadership.

Huế will be building itself into a ‘smart’ and ‘green’ urban area with the best protection of its heritage, while still reserving a space for economic growth. Heritage and culture are the very foundations for a sustainable solution for Huế City – a former imperial city -- in long living experience with unique cultural values not only in Việt Nam, but throughout the world.

Huế City hosts regular festivals, attracting millions of people from different countries. Photo courtesy of Huế City's Portal

The city plans to become a ‘must-visit’ destination, home to the richest UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites and the largest lagoon ecological system in ASEAN.

Thừa Thiên-Huế boasts rich biodiversity, including the wetland system of the Tam Giang-Cầu Hai Lagoon. VNS