Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival honors children with lanterns on the full moon of the eighth lunar month.
Known in Vietnamese as Tết Trung Thu, the festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Vietnamese lunar calendar, usually in September or early October. It is closely associated with the harvest moon, family reunions, mooncakes, lion dances, and brightly colored lanterns.
In Vietnam, the celebration has developed a particularly strong focus on children. Children often carry lanterns in processions, watch lion dances, and receive special treats. Traditional stories connected with the moon, including the tale of Chú Cuội, are commonly told during the season.
The Vietnamese festival belongs to the wider East Asian Mid-Autumn tradition, but it should not be confused with Tet, Vietnam’s lunar New Year celebration. Its timing and customs center on the full moon and autumn harvest rather than the start of the year.