If you've strolled the northern bank of the Hương (Perfume) River in Huế, you may now find a fresh outdoor sculpture exhibition sharing space with the riverside views. The Huế International Sculpture Camp opened in the central Vietnamese city on November 5 and runs until November 15, bringing together 29 sculptors — ten of them from abroad.

The camp is an early marker of Huế Festival 2026, the city's flagship cultural event, and it doubles as a tribute to Việt Nam Culture Day on November 24. Selection was no walk-in affair: artists launched the process back in early 2025, submitting sketches that progressed to 1:10 scale models before a professional council whittled the field down to 29 works. The chosen artists come from France, Spain, Egypt, Iran, Thailand, Laos and host country Việt Nam.

Huế Monuments Conservation Centre director Hoàng Việt Trung, who also serves as standing vice chairman of the festival's organising committee, framed the camp as more than an art show. The pieces reflect each artist's take on the people, culture and land of Huế, and the cross-border exchange is expected to seed longer-term cooperation between Vietnamese artists and international partners.

The works deliberately blend traditional and contemporary styles, and the city hopes they'll do double duty: enriching the riverside urban landscape while spotlighting the heritage of the former imperial capital. The setting is a big part of the appeal — visitors can view the sculptures in a park along the Hương River, with the atmospheric backdrop of a city that served as Vietnam's royal seat until the mid-20th century.

For travellers, this is a good reason to plan a Huế trip around the run-up to Huế Festival 2026. The city is already famous for its citadel, royal tombs, pagodas and distinctive imperial cuisine, and temporary art installations along the river add a free, walkable extra to any itinerary. The camp's stated aim of boosting Huế's draw for both domestic and international visitors suggests more cultural programming is on the way as the festival approaches.

Timing matters: the camp wraps on November 15, so if you want to catch the artists at work — often the most interesting part of a sculpture camp, where you can watch raw material turn into finished pieces — you'll need to be in town within that window. Even after the camp closes, the completed works along the river are likely to remain as a new artistic highlight of the riverbank.

Pair a riverside sculpture walk with Huế's established sights: the UNESCO-listed citadel complex sits on the same side of the river, and a short boat or bike ride puts you among the royal tombs of the Nguyễn dynasty. Add a bowl of bún bò Huế or a vegetarian meal at a pagoda, and you have a compact cultural city break with a contemporary twist.

More details via Vietnam News Life.