Hollow-core Bragg fibers (HC-BFs) based on one-dimensional photonic bandgap (PBG) effect have flexible and convenient bandgap control capability and excellent performance in broadband and low-loss transmission. As a distinctive category of hollow-core PBG fiber, HC-BFs show great potential application in optical transmission, dispersion management and control, fiber-type devices, sensing detection and so on. The development and recent research progress of HC-BFs are reviewed, with regard to the structural design of fiber waveguide and guided wave modal propagation characteristics, cladding materials composition and fiber fabrication technologies, and their applications in trace-gas detection and biochemical sensing based on gaseous or liquid analyte-filled HC-BFs.