Family festival
Under the full moon of the eighth lunar month, Vietnamese families gather for Tết Trung Thu, a festival of lanterns, mooncakes and lion dances that is especially loved by younger family members.
Photo: Sandra Mosconi / Unsplash
15th day of the 8th lunar month, in September or early October
Streets, parks and homes across Vietnam, with famous lantern streets in Hanoi and Hội An.
Carry star lanterns, watch lion dances, share mooncakes and look at the full moon together.
Vui Tết Trung Thu!: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Tết Trung Thu is held on the night of the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is full. It shares roots with the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated in China and elsewhere in Asia, but has its own Vietnamese stories, such as that of Chú Cuội, who is said to sit beneath a banyan tree on the moon. In Vietnam it has become a festival centred on the younger generation, and is sometimes called Tết Thiếu Nhi.
In the weeks before, markets fill with lanterns, masks and mooncakes. The classic lantern is the five-pointed star, the đèn ông sao, alongside spinning lanterns and figures shaped like fish, rabbits and carp. Two kinds of mooncake are popular: the baked bánh nướng and the soft, white bánh dẻo. On the night itself, families share fruit and mooncakes while looking at the moon, younger family members parade with lanterns, and lion dance troupes perform to the beat of drums in streets and courtyards. Schools and neighbourhoods often organise their own celebrations. Customs and the scale of celebrations vary from city to countryside.
Like other moon festivals, it is a time for families to be together, give gifts of mooncakes and enjoy a calm autumn evening outdoors.
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In Hanoi, the streets around Hàng Mã are famous for lanterns and toys in the run-up to the festival, while Hội An’s old town glows with lanterns. Areas with lion dances can be very busy and loud, so agree a meeting point. Mooncakes make a welcome gift for hosts.
They share roots and the same date, but Vietnam has its own stories, foods and customs, and celebrates it as a festival focused on younger family members.
The đèn ông sao is a five-pointed star lantern, traditionally made from bamboo and coloured cellophane. It is the best-known symbol of the festival.
A character from Vietnamese folklore who, according to legend, sits beneath a banyan tree on the moon. Families often tell his story on the night of the festival.
