Turning away from modern toys and noisy places, many Vietnamese parents are trying to hold the Mid-autumn Festival in a traditional way for their children.

Children learn how to make a tò he

In order to help their children understand more about the traditional mid-autumn festival, several parents in Hanoi have opted to take their kids to their hometowns for the occasion.

Minh Huyen, a woman from Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, said, “My husband and I have decided to take our children to my parents-in-law’s house in the suburbs where they still follow the traditional way of celebrating the festival.”

According to her, a traditional mid-autumn festival in northern Vietnam often includes đèn ông sao or a traditional star-shaped lantern, ông Tiến sĩ giấy or paper statue that looks like an old professor, along with múa lân, a traditional unicorn dance.

“Even though such things can still be found in Hanoi, the atmosphere there is much noisier than in the countryside. Last year, I had to elbow my way through the crowds to take my children to a festival in the Old Quarter. This year, we'll try a peaceful festival in the hometown,” she said.

Parents attending a class teaching how to make moon cakes in Hanoi

Children happy learning how to make a moon cake

Some others have opted to bring their children to the National Museum of Ethnology where they can learn how to make a đèn ông sao and tò he as well as take part in several folk games.

In the previous years, people often looked for modern moon cakes made by today's big bakeries. This year, many have learned to make a moon cake on their own, for fun or due to health safety concerns.

The ages of those who want to make moon cakes vary quite a bit. Many find it easy to get a moon cake recipe by searching online.

Ha Thuy, 41-year-old banking official, said, “My daughter and I have made moon cakes together for the last two years. When she makes them specially for her grandparents as a Mid-Autumn Festivel gift, it makes me happy.”