The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival 2020

The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival is the unique cultural experience travelers shouldn’t miss if they are staying in Vietnam during the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. 
Various activities are held to celebrate the Mid- Autumn Festival in Vietnam and here are top 3 thing travelers must try!

1. Strolling lantern streets

Mid-Autumn Festival is excitement time for Vietnamese children, just as American children enjoy Halloween festival. During the festival, parents buy for their children various kind of lanterns, toys, funny masks and make the most of time to play with them. That may be the reason why there are some suddenly bustle streets with plenty of colorful lanterns, funny masks and toys. Traveler can also sense the flurry atmosphere of the streets from far away because of some throbbing drums, fantastic lion dance or dancing children. Those streets is considered one of the most perfect places for families, young locals and visitors to hang out, take pictures and bring home some of the lanterns as well as the festival’s atmosphere. Travelers are also advised to buy lantern first, so that they could take photos without upsetting the shopkeepers.

2. Watching the Lion Dance Parade

Traditionally, at night, a group of children parade through the streets, going from door to door and asking the owners to perform the lion dance. If it is agreed, the parade will put on a show surround their home. The local believe that lion dance will bring luck and fortune for them, afterwards, they will give the children candy, cake or even lucky money as a special gift for their gratitude.

Nowadays, lion dancers are huge of numbers ranging from little kids to teenagers, the young and even the old, who treasure this festival like a unique time to turn back their childhood. Thank for that, Trung Thu become the festival for all people who would like to live and play again like children, without worry of work and life, all in this together to enjoy the big party. Traveler could not only watching, but also joining in this parade and immersing in Vietnamese kids festival. As a result of having so many groups of people marching around, the streets and venues echo with the sound of drums as dozen of lions roam about. 

3. Tasting Mooncakes ( Trung Thu cake)

Traditionally in Vietnamese culture, mooncakes have been seen as a symbol of family reunions in this festival. During the Full-moon Festival, family members usually gather and make offerings to their ancestors then delightedly enjoy mooncakes with fragrant tea while admiring the full moon. 

Mooncakes are often in the shape of a circle or square and its flavor is rather sweetened in comparison to other countries. Mooncakes is usually fall into two different categories: : “Bánh nướng” (baked mooncake) and “Bánh dẻo” (sticky rice mooncake).

The Baked mooncakes is baked from wheat flour, oil, and syrup boiled with malt. After being filled with various combinations of salted egg yolk, dried sausage, seeds and mung bean paste, it would be brushed with egg wash, then baked in the oven.

Sticky rice mooncake ( Banh Deo) is rather easier to make. The crust of it is made from roasted glutinous rice flour with pomelo blossom water or syrup and vanilla. After softening the rice flour, the fillings are stuffed inside the crust and then the cake is put into a beautifully crafted mold. Then the sticky rice mooncake can be eaten immediately.

Your tours to Vietnam during experiencing Full-Moon Festival  could not complete if you do not try Mooncake.

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2. Witness the Old-age Ritual of Royal Ploughing Ceremony

3. Hue Craft Festival

4. Must-see November festival in Vietnam