Grand Mercure Hanoi - Upscale hotels & resorts

Visitors and locals alike will find plenty of ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hanoi this year, from the bustling streets of Hàng Mã and the Old Quarter to the historic Thăng Long Imperial Citadel and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

The capital city is bringing festive spirit to life with vibrant cultural spaces that recreate the traditions of the holiday. Hàng Mã, at the heart of the Old Quarter, dazzles with colorful lanterns and decorations, drawing crowds for shopping, photography, and folk art performances.

At Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, visitors can immerse themselves in a unique re-creation of Mid-Autumn celebrations of the past, including royal festivities from the Lý Dynasty. Meanwhile, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology hosts “Joy with Children,” an interactive program where young participants can make their own toys and explore cultural traditions.

Hang Ma street & old quarters around Hoan Kiem Lake 

Since early September, Hanoi’s Hàng Mã Street has been lit up with colorful decorations, welcoming visitors for sightseeing, photography, and shopping. Crowds grow larger as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, especially on weekends. This year, striking installations—including a crescent moon, a white rabbit, and a giant carp—have become popular backdrops for young people capturing festive moments.

At Kim Ngân Communal House on Hàng Bạc Street, the exhibition and talk series “Our Moon” brings back the traditional Mid-Autumn atmosphere of northern Vietnam. On display are lion dance heads, papier-mâché masks, lanterns, paper scholars, figurines made of dough, and classic festive trays. The exhibition runs until October 6.

A wide range of Mid-Autumn activities also animate public spaces such as Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục Square, Hoàn Kiếm pedestrian streets, the Hàng Mã–Hàng Lược–Hàng Rươi area, Phùng Hưng mural street, and Đồng Xuân Market. Each evening until October 6, the city hosts performances, folk toy-making workshops, the cultural program “Fairy Tale Moon,” a traditional festive tray competition, lion dance head workshops, and a vibrant full-moon night celebration.

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

The 2025 “Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration” at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel features two central themes: the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival and the royal Mid-Autumn festivities of the Lý Dynasty.

The traditional section showcases stalls of classic toys once popular during the festival, including lion drums, frog drums, paper-mâché masks, tin toys, paper scholars, lanterns of all kinds, and figurines. Many of these vintage lanterns have been faithfully recreated by artisans from Thanh Oai village, based on archival photographs from the Quai Branly Museum and the École française d’Extrême-Orient in France.

For the first time, the program also interprets the Mid-Autumn celebrations at the imperial court of the 11th–12th centuries. Visitors can explore exhibition panels on history, reconstructed paintings of royal festivities, and displays that recreate boat races and water puppet performances once staged by soldiers and commoners alike.

Adding to the festive spirit, the venue offers colorful photo spots, including a lantern archway, a wall of woven baskets, a golden carp chasing the moon among lotus flowers, and a lantern-lit pathway.

Festival-goers can also enjoy lion dance performances and hands-on workshops where children and families create their own toys—such as lanterns, paper kites, and painted masks—on October 4 and 5.

Vietnam Museum of Ethology 

On the evening of October 5, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology will host its 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival program themed “Joy with Children.” The event invites young visitors to experience the festive atmosphere of traditional Mid-Autumn through encounters with artisans and familiar toys such as star lanterns, revolving lanterns, paper scholars, tò he figurines, papier-mâché masks, clay statues, and dough figurines. Highlights also include lion dances, lantern processions, and water puppet performances by Đồng Ngư troupe from Bắc Ninh.

Children will be able to take part in a range of discovery activities, from listening to folk tales about the origins of the festival to role-playing as puppet characters, trying hand-puppet performances, painting Mid-Autumn–themed pictures, and making toys under the guidance of traditional craftsmen.

The program also integrates modern experiences, such as STEM workshops where participants craft lanterns and toy boats while exploring scientific principles, alongside digital activities like virtual reality (VR) and a treasure hunt game using museum artifacts.

Adding to the festivities, the museum is also showcasing “Autumn Hues,” an art installation featuring traditional toys crafted by senior artisans, which will remain open until November 4.