Hue City to merge culture, sports, and tourism departments

The Hue City People's Council has approved a resolution to merge the Department of Culture and Sports with the Department of Tourism to form the new Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This administrative restructuring is scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2026.

The merger aims to streamline the government apparatus, reduce overlapping functions, and consolidate resources for multi-sector management. Currently, Hue is one of only four provinces or cities in Vietnam that maintains a separate Department of Tourism.

Officials noted that the previous separate management model led to fragmented strategic planning, overlapping event organization, and dispersed financial and human resources. The new unified department is expected to better integrate the preservation of cultural heritage with the development of tourism routes, festivals, and sports infrastructure.