Hue girls parade with conical hats adorned with LED lights, sparking controversy.

In recent days, after images of young women in purple ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) wearing conical hats with the word "HUE" on them at the ceremony honoring the ancestors of various crafts – a procession celebrating traditional crafts – held on the evening of April 29th, within the framework of the Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2019 organized by the People's Committee of Hue City (Thua Thien Hue province) appeared on social media, it has sparked a fierce debate among the public about whether or not the Hue conical hat should be "re-adorned" (referring to the re-adorning of Hue traditional hats).

She further explained that the word "HUE" is large and clear, not a symbolic or abstract design, and therefore cannot be considered a horn.Why can't they understand that it's a crown for Hue? Saying that is insulting to Hue and demeaning it. But if people think that way, we have to listen.".

At the traditional craft festival – a procession honoring the crafts – approximately 40 conical hats bearing the word "HUE" were displayed. Meanwhile, at the opening ceremony (April 26th) and closing ceremony (May 1st) of the Festival, 100 hats appeared on stage during each program.

The designer asserted that the purpose of attaching the word "HUE" to the hats was to make the image of Hue more radiant during nighttime festivals. However, she expressed that"I don't understand why so many people see it as a horn; it's rather strange. Anything new feels strange, but how could the shape possibly resemble a horn?"", she said.

Across forums and social media, the majority of opinions expressed opposition to designer Minh Hạnh's idea, arguing that the purple ao dai and conical hat are symbolic images of Hue, and that these alone are enough to represent Hue. Therefore, adding the word "HUE" to the conical hat is unnecessary, creates an unattractive image, and detracts from the inherent simplicity, grace, and gentleness of Hue women."Design is a field that demands creativity, but using images that have become cultural icons and then giving them away... like horns is just unacceptable!"A writer.

Many people oppose the practice of "attaching horns to Hue conical hats".

Amidst the increasingly intense controversy on social media and in public opinion, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee and Head of the Organizing Committee of the Hue Traditional Craft Festival, shared with Lao Dong newspaper that the Organizing Committee will hold a meeting on March 5th to reassess the situation. He stated that it is unacceptable to take the opinion of one individual and claim it as the general view of society or public opinion.