The Hue Festival originated in a festival held in 1992 by Hue city and the Vietnam France Codev Association. The idea of organizing a large scale festival co-hosted by Thua Thien-Hue province and the French Embassy in Vietnam was strongly supported by the Vietnamese government. The festival aims to serve as a venue for representative performances from different cultures around the world. Since 2000, more than 120 art troupes from some 30 countries have visited Hue. 

Thanks to its innovation and creativity, the Hue Festival has been a big success. Taking the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, Hue Festival 2004 promoted Hue royal court music- a UNESCO-recognized masterpiece of cultural heritage. In 2006, with the theme “700 years of Thuan Hoa-Phu Xuan- Thua Thien Hue, Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, the festival blended traditional identity with contemporary characteristics. Hue Festival 2010 reflected the cultural heritages of five continents. Hue Festival 2012’s theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development- a rendezvous of historic cities” was associated with the theme “Heritage tourism” of Vietnam’s National Tourism Year. "We have tried to make the Hue Festival more and more attractive by promoting Hue’s cultural treasures. We hope tourists will discover Hue’s beauty through festival activities. Hue has a great potential for tourism thanks to its cultural heritages, Lang Co Bay, and other scenic spots like the Perfume River, Ngu Mountain, and Bach Ma mountain. Hue enjoys a lot of advantages for developing tourism into a spearhead economy", said Mr. Ngo Hoa, Vice Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue’s People’s Committee.  

The Hue Festivals have given Hue a chance to exploit its royal and folkloric cultures. Director of the Hue Relic Preservation Center Phan Thanh Hai says Thua Thien-Hue province is aiming to raise the Hue Festival to international standards. But, Hai adds, it’s difficult to use new technologies in organizing festival activities while preserving the traditional aspects that are so attractive to visitors and participating partners. Hai stressed the importance of preserving cultural heritages, calling it a vital factor for Hue. He said it’s important to work out a plan to diversify tourism products in a way that strengthens the Hue Festival brand name. "The Hue Festival gives us a great opportunity to introduce and promote the brand name of Hue heritages. This is also an opportunity for us to enrich the festival while serving the work of researching and restoring Hue’s traditional ceremonies. Through festival activities, we hope to promote tourism while preserving local heritages", said Mr. Hai.

The Hue Festivals has become an international event that has helped promote the image of the ancient royal city of Hue. Visitors have increased from 410,000 in 2000 to 2 million this year, of whom 80,000 were foreigners. The growing crowds are evidence of the Hue Festival’s enormous success.