A man from Thanh Oai, an outlying district of Hanoi, is locally famous for having made giant lanterns for the mid-autumn festival.

Vu Van Sinh shows off giant lantern

Craftsman Vu Van Sinh learned to make lanterns and other traditional decorations for the festival when he was a boy.

His name became more locally renowned in 2006, when he, together with other craftsmen, made a giant lantern 6.5 metres high and 2.56 metres wide. The lantern was displayed at the Hanoi Children's Culture Palace and listed in Vietnam’s Book of Records.

He makes hundreds of lanterns of various sizes to meet the rising demand of the mid-autumn festival. Some of his clients place orders for giant lanterns that can cost into the tens of million of VND.

This year, he is making a giant lantern which 2.1 metres high and 1.4 metreS wide. "Even though this is not a commission and nobody has offered to buy it yet, I'm still devoted to making it. I'm happy to see them used during the festival," he said.

Lighting

Like many other traditional crafts in Vietnam, lantern-making is gradually fading away.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, Sinh’s wife, said, “Making of lantern is a traditional craft that has been maintained for several generations in our family. But it just doesn't bring in much money. Craftsmen do it now just out of the love of the art.”

Sinh said that he is willing to teach anyone who is interested in making traditional lanterns, as he hopes to preserve the craft.