The Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam (Vietnamese: tết Trung Thu) is also known as the Moon festival or the full moon festival for children. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar with full moon at night, corresponding to late September to early October of the calendar, the moon is believed most full and brightest in the year. Children are looking forward to the Mid-Autumn festival because they are usually given toys by adults, usually paper star lamps, masks, water guns, tò he… On this occasion people make offerings to worship ancestor and prepare some Moon cakes for their family. When the moon goes high, children will sing, watch the full moon and eat Moon cakes.
Not like the full moon festival in Hoi An which takes place every 14th day of lunar month, the full moon festival in Hanoi and other part of Vietnam is celebrated in Mid Autumn when the moon is full and brightest in the year. If you are in Hanoi this occasion, you will easily recognize the celebration and preparation all around and the children performing lion dance or star light parades a few days before the full moon day, normally from 12th day lunar month. Let’s go around Hanoi city to see how the full moon festival is celebrating.