Tet Trung Thu

About Tet Trung Thu

Tet Trung Thu, on the full moon of the eighth lunar month, is a festival primarily for children. At dusk, children carry lanterns made of paper, plastic or bamboo in the shape of stars, fish, butterflies and rabbits through the streets, singing songs and following troupes of lion dancers who go from house to house collecting gifts. Families make an altar of fruit and mooncakes, banh trung thu, and sit outside together to watch the moon rise. Old stories tell of the moon-dwelling Cuoi, a man who tended a banyan tree and rose to the moon. Hang Ma street in Hanoi fills with lanterns and toys for sale, and Hoi An hangs silk lanterns in its old quarter.

Tet Trung Thu dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

What is eaten

• banh trung thu
• pomelo
• candied fruit

Traditions of Tet Trung Thu

Lion danceThe troupe dance for children.

More marked on Tet Trung Thu

🇻🇳 Hội An, VietnamTết Trung Thu節中秋 A mid-autumn festival of lanterns, mooncakes and folklore celebrated across VietnamFestival · Sweets given and shared 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreMoon rabbit月兔 A hare seen in the Moon's dark patches, pounding rice cakes or the elixir of lifeFolklore