A lantern parade around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Millions of Vietnamese children are eagerly awaiting the Mid-Autumn Festival – a celebration for children and a time of reunion and gathering which falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month annually (October 6 this year).

More than just an occasion for children to play, enjoy festive treats, and parade with lanterns, the festival is a beautiful expression of Việt Nam's traditional cultural values, preserved and passed down through generations.

Joyful festivities across the country

During the eighth lunar month, the lively atmosphere of the festival fills every corner of Việt Nam. From Hà Nội's Old Quarter to the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel; from Huế and Hội An to the Central Highlands, the South, and even among overseas Vietnamese communities, the colourful and radiant Mid-Autumn celebrations bring joy to millions of children, serving as a meaningful bond that connects communities everywhere.

The 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival, organised at the Việt Nam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts from October 2 to 5 under the direction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, featured a variety of engaging experiential activities and captivating art programmes for children.

This year’s event conjured a Mid-Autumn panorama, with display areas awash in the vivid iconography of youth, such as lion heads, paper mâché masks, paper mandarins, lanterns, frog drums, cotton swans, and fruit trays.

These setups aimed to evoke nostalgic childhood memories while offering check-in for visitors. Distinctive photo booths mixed old-school Vietnamese vibes with modern flair, serving perfect shots for youngsters.

A key draw was hands-on activities, where children could dive into pottery making, statue painting, folk woodblock printing, crochet, scented wax crafting, and poonah paper lantern creation. These workshops were designed to deepen kids’ appreciation of traditional crafts while letting them craft their own Mid-Autumn keepsakes.

According to Trần Quang Vinh, deputy director of the centre, the annual organisation of the festival conveyed a profound message of society’s care and attention toward future generations. At the same time, it served as a practical activity to preserve and promote the nation’s cultural values in contemporary life.

At the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel in Hà Nội, the Enjoying Mid-Autumn Festival 2025 programme recreates two spaces with two themes: the Traditional Mid-Autumn Festival and the Royal Mid-Autumn Festival of the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225).

The display of rotating lanterns, paper mâché masks, toy drums, and tò he (traditional figurines made of coloured rice powder), along with artifacts restored from over a thousand years ago, brings visitors back to the festive atmosphere of ancient Thăng Long.

In the central city of Huế, the Royal Mid-Autumn Festival programme will open free of charge at the Imperial City from October 6-7, featuring Bao La lanterns, lion dances, lantern parades, and traditional royal games such as bài vụ (spinning top game) and xăm hường (fortune drawing).

Sharing the same festive spirit, thousands of children in disadvantaged and remote areas from Lâm Đồng to Tây Ninh have also enjoyed a warm and joyful celebration. In Tuyên Quang, nearly 4,500 underprivileged children have received scholarships and gifts worth nearly VNĐ2 billion (US$75,800). In Tây Ninh, 250 children of factory workers joined the Full Moon Night of Love, where they watched lion dances, and received presents. These activities reflect how the festival serves as a bridge of community solidarity – a time for people to share love and compassion.

Not only in Việt Nam, but the Vietnamese community in Spain has also celebrated a warm and joyful Mid-Autumn Festival. Around 200 parents, children, and international friends joined in lantern-making, enjoyed traditional mooncakes, and took part in lantern parades and festive gatherings.

Attending this celebration, Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng expressed his delight at participating in such a meaningful event with the Vietnamese community in Spain.

He emphasised that the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of Việt Nam’s most important celebrations, along with the Lunar New Year, National Day, and other significant national occasions. These festivals bring families together, strengthening bonds of love and care, while encouraging everyone to cherish and preserve the nation’s distinctive traditional cultural values.

A festival of affection and cultural roots

In Vietnamese cultural life, it is regarded as the 'Festival of Childhood'. Historical records show that as early as the Lý Dynasty, the festival had become a major celebration in the capital of Thăng Long.

The king organised grand festivities both in the royal court and among the common people, featuring banquets, water puppetry, boat racing and lion dancing. The entire capital was beautifully decorated with lanterns and flowers, and the people joyfully took part in the celebrations.

Traditional customs such as ancestral worship, preparing trays of fruits, hanging lanterns, enjoying mooncakes and lantern parades have been passed down through generations and remain a cherished part of Việt Nam's cultural heritage today.

Children experience making fish-shaped lanterns. — VNA/VNS Photo

Through thousands of years, every Mid-Autumn season continues to fill children with excitement as they look forward to lantern parades, lion dances, and festive treats. For adults, the festival symbolises reunion – a time to gather with family and loved ones. The festival, therefore, is deeply tied to warm, nostalgic memories of childhood and togetherness for every Vietnamese person.

In his letter to children nationwide on the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on October 6 this year, State President Lương Cường emphasised that the festival has, for generations, been an indispensable part of Vietnamese cultural life. It is an occasion for children to enjoy joyful activities, reunite, and gather happily with their families and friends.

"The Party, State, and society always give special attention to children, ensuring the best conditions for them to study, play safely, and develop comprehensively," he stated, showing his hope that they will uphold their love for learning, remain diligent and kind, stay united, support one another, and grow together, so that they can contribute to building a more prosperous and civilised Việt Nam.

The President wished children a joyful, meaningful, safe, and warm celebration with their families, teachers, and friends. He expressed his hope that disadvantaged children and those in areas struck by floods and storms would remain resilient, never back down in the face of hardship, keep their innocent, radiant smiles, and continue to nurture beautiful dreams, so that when the storms pass, their lives will once again be filled with light and joy.

He expressed his belief that with the care and support of the Party and State, along with the solidarity, compassion, and protection of the entire nation, the children and their families will overcome difficulties, soon stabilise their lives, and continue studying and nurturing their dreams. — VNA/VNS