Children celebrate Mid-autumn festival in Kông Plông District, Central Highland Kon Tum Province. — Photo baokontum.vn

HÀ NỘI — State and local officials have granted gifts to children, especially, poor, underprivileged and ill children across the country on the occasion of this year’s Mid-autumn festival, annually held on the 15^th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (September 15 this year).

President Trần Đại Quang yesterday sent a letter to children nationwide to wish them a warm mid-autumn festival.

In the letter, Quang said he hoped all Vietnamese children would become able citizens to make Việt Nam shoulder-to-shoulder with other countries in the future.

On Tuesday, vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh gave gifts to 95 child cancer patients in the Hà Nội-based K Hospital. She also joined children in folk games and watched music performances with them.

On the same day, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến and the “For a bright tomorrow” fund presented gifts to 70 child patients at the Central Pediatrics Hospital.

In northern mountainous Lào Cai Province, local administration undertook a range of activities including granting gifts and holding a “Warm mid-autumn festival” night for local ethnic-minority children.

Lý A Chảo, a Dao ethnic-minority boy said, “Every year when the day is coming, I expect a lot, I expect to celebrate mid-autumn festival with my friends.” 

Vương Mạnh Phú, Secretary of the Communist Youth Union of Bát Xát District, said more than 2,000 children were awarded gifts.

In Sa Pa Town, local children enjoyed the mid-autumn festival on Tuesday night by eating moon cakes and carrying star-shaped lanterns around the town.

In northern Ninh Bình Province, children at the provincial Social Protection Centre received gifts to celebrate the mid-autumn festival from local officials yesterday.

The coastal central Phú Yên Province’s Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs Department worked with the local Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital to organise the programme “Mid-autumn festival for you” for 100 children in the hospital. More than 1,000 gifts were also sent to poor children in the province.

In southern Cà Mau Province, 800 gifts were given to children with disabilities and homeless children.

In Việt Nam, on the full moon night, children join traditional celebrations, including eating moon cake, carrying carp-shaped lanterns, and watching lion dances in streets.— VNS