Hue city welcomed approximately 535,000 tourists during the Labor Day holiday period, representing a 173% increase compared to the same period in 2025. ^[1] Despite light rain on September 1st and 2nd, crowds gathered at the Imperial Citadel (Dai Noi) and other historical sites including An Dinh Palace and Thien Mu Pagoda. ^[2] The Hue Imperial City Preservation Center announced free admission for Vietnamese citizens on September 2nd, with opening hours from 7:00 to 17:30. ^[3] In 2018, the city released a list of 27 colonial structures slated for formal protection, which critics argued effectively gave the okay for the other remaining buildings to be destroyed. ^[4] Of 240 French colonial structures still standing in Hue in 2000, only about 77 remain today due primarily to urban expansion, according to a peer-reviewed analysis in Sustainability. ^[5] The Thuy Tien Water Park opened in 2004, was closed by 2006, and reopened as a legal community park in 2025 with an entrance fee of 10,000 VND. ^[6] Vietnam welcomed a record high of more than 21 million visitors in 2025, increasing pressure on destinations to accommodate growing numbers of travelers. ^[7] Photographs taken by reporters on August 31st and September 1st showed long lines of people queuing to buy tickets at the Imperial Citadel. ^[8]