After two previous festivals in 2018 (themed "The Legend of a Flower") and 2022 (themed "Lotus - Essence of Heaven and Earth"), the Hue Lotus Festival 2023 with the theme "Lotus Beautifies Hue" will be held at Tinh Tam Lake for three days, from June 23rd to June 25th.

I happened to come across a Facebook post of a friend currently living in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It read, “seeing seven blooming pink lotus flowers celebrating Vesak on Nhan Co Lake reminds me so much of my hometown - Hue, where Ngu Mountain and the Perfume River reside.”

On the morning of June 12, the Tourism Department informed that Hue Lotus Festival 2023 with the theme “Lotus colorizes Hue” will be held from June 23 to 26 at Tinh Tam Lake.

Of more than 350 artisans from the 69 well-known craft villages across the country participating in Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2023, artisan Phan Thi Thuan and her booth of the Phung Xa weaving village attracts many visitors because of her unique product: silk from lotus fibers.

On the morning of May 23 (5th of the 4th lunar month, of the year of the Cat), the Board of Administration - The Organizing Committee of the Vesak 2567 in Thua Thien Hue Province performed the rite of launching of seven lotus lanterns onto the middle of the Huong River to celebrate the major occasion.

The procession of Uncle’s Ho portrait photo and lotus flowers was held solemnly on the morning of May 17 at Duong No Village (Phu Duong Commune, Hue City) – the place associated with his childhood.

On the 155th anniversary of the birthday of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan - the mother of President Ho Chi Minh - and the 133rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, the People's Committee of Nghe An province, in coordination with the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province, organize a special show called “Người mẹ làng Sen” (“The mother in Lotus village”).

In the lakes around Hue Imperial Citadel and all over the periphery of Hue City, white lotus flowers have begun to bloom, bringing the pure and brilliant beauty.

From the Hue lotus with a close and familiar appearance, researchers at the University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University have "transformed" each part of the traditional lotus plant into attractive products on Vietnamese people's dining tables and living rooms; and, it is going to be exported to America in the near future.

“Lotuses are not lotuses, but they are lotuses,” concludes Prof. Dr. Trang Thanh Hien, a researcher in art, about the most recent artworks by Phan Hai Bang called “Confluence with Lotuses on Paper” on display at Le Ba Dang Art Museum (15 Le Loi St., Hue City.)