25/09/2026
For many who grew up in Vietnam, Mid-Autumn was something that began well before the full moon. In the weeks leading up to the festival, children made lanterns from bamboo, wire, coloured cellophane and whatever else they could find. Some became five-pointed stars; others were fashioned from old milk tins, cut and pierced so that candlelight could shine through.
By the fifteenth night of the eighth lunar month, candles were lit and children took to the streets, turning alleys and neighbourhood lanes into moving trails of colour and light.
Lanterns today are brighter, more elaborate and more often bought than made. Yet the festival can still bring back the smallest details: the glow behind coloured paper, the faint smell of candle wax, the excitement of being outside after dark with friends.
Perhaps that is why the festival endures so vividly in memory. The lanterns may have changed, but every Mid-Autumn, something of those childhood nights returns.
Chúc mừng Tết Trung Thu 🌕
