VietNamNet Bridge – Besides lantern parade, serving out mid-autumn festival cakes and fruits, admiring the full moon on the 15th day of lunar August, in Hanoi, people experience the full moon atmosphere several weeks ago.

1. Go shopping

Hang Ma is the most bustling street in Hanoi every Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: TBKTSG

From the beginning of the 8th lunar month, Mid-Autumn Festival has been prepared in many families, of which the most common and important is preparing moon cakes.

Besides moon cakes offered by big companies like Kinh Do, Long Dinh, Huu Nghi, Hanoians favor moon cakes made by traditional remedies by some famous family brands such as Bao Phuong on Thuy Khue street, Mrs. Dan, Phuong Soat and Ninh Huong in the Old Quarter.

Mid-Autumn Festival is also a great opportunity for kids to have gifts from their parents. The most familiar address for purchasing toys is Hang Ma Street, where you can find all kinds of toys, from traditional to imported ones. The most popular toys are lanterns, masks, lion heads, drums, etc.

If you love traditional toys and want to buy a cardboard mask, you should visit the shop of Mr. Hoa-Mrs. Lan on Hang Luoc Street. With over 30 years experience in this trade, the cardboard masks will bring you a vivid world of boundless expression. With VND25,000 to VND40,000, you can buy a cardboard mask for the meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. Entertainment

The traditional toys always have their own appeal. Photo: vietq

This year’s Miid-Autumn Festival has a lot of exciting activities. The three addresses in the city center are the Old Quarter, Giang Vo Exhibition Center and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

From September 13 to 19, the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival will be held in the Old Quarter. If you love the art of making paper animals, you should go to Kim Ngan communal house on Hang Bac Street. If you want to learn making traditional toys, you should go to Dong Lac communal house. At the Heritage House on Ma May Street, you will be introduced to Dong Ho paintings and how to play the game called Tri Uan.

As one of the addresses of the children on holidays, this year the Museum of Ethnology on Nguyen Van Huyen Road will hold many exciting activities to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 14 and 15.

The traditional Mid-Autumn space in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Photo: Khanh Huyen .

Coming here on these days, kids and parents will not only learn the traditional culture of the Mid-Autumn Festival but also be instructed to make lanterns, clay fruits and arrange five fruits tray.

With the theme "Mid-Autumn Fun to explore South East Asia," the museum will also organize shows of music and dances of Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

At the Giang Vo Exhibition Center, the Mid-Autumn Festival activities will take place from September 14 to 19, including dragon and unicorn dance, folk games and folk music performances, traditional toy and cake making, wrestling contest, etc.

M. Linh