Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations 2026 in Hoi An

Here are traditions and activities of Tet Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival) in Vietnam:

– Eating and sharing mooncakes (Bánh trung thu): Families gather to eat and gift mooncakes, which come in two main varieties: baked mooncakes (bánh nướng) with savory or sweet fillings and a golden crust, and snow-skin sticky rice mooncakes (bánh dẻo) which are white and chewy. Their round shape symbolizes family reunion, completeness, and togetherness.

Visitors can see, buy and try traditional mooncakes at these places in Hoi An: local markets and shops around them (Hoi An Central Market, Tan An Market or Tiger Market, Ba Le Market or Cam Chau Market, smaller markets), bakeries, coffee shops, convenient stores/minimarts, supermarkets. These cakes are seen a lot in tourist areas (such as the night market on Nguyen Hoang Road).

Price of a mooncake is 50.000-200.000 VND, depending on the ingredients.

– Lion, unicorn and dragon dances: Vibrant troupes perform acrobatics on streets and outside homes to the heavy, energetic rhythm of drums and cymbals. These performances are believed to ward off evil spirits, bring good luck, and usher in prosperity.

This activity is the biggest interest for tourists. If come to Hoi An within 1 week before the full moon date (festival date), it’s possible to see the dances on major roads like Tran Hung Dao, Ly Thuong Kiet, Cua Dai, Hai Ba Trung,… or Chinese assembly halls on Tran Phu Road. The performing time is the evening.

If travel with kids, make sure that you bring them to town center of Hoi An for watching lion/unicorn/dragon dances. Parents should see them carefully because the crowds is usually big and the roads are very busy.

A competition between the largest lion dance crews may be organized in Hoi An. Visitors can check the schedule to watch if have.

– Lantern making and light parades: Children carry colorful, glowing paper lanterns—traditionally red star-shaped or carp-shaped designs—and march through neighborhoods and alleyways singing traditional folk songs.

Hoi An is famous for lanterns and colorful lantern lights when it’s dark. There is a lantern festival on the 14th day of the 8th lunar month, just before the main date of Mid Autumn Festival (15th date). So, in these nights, there are even more lantern decorations, bringing visitors a truly spectacular light show. Do not miss the slow boat ride on Hoai River (between the Old town and the island where night market locates), lit a candle lantern yourself and release it for wish making.

The light parade often takes places in Hoi An Old Town area in the afternoon of the main festival date.  

– Moon gazing and offering banquets: Families set up outdoor banquet tables loaded with seasonal autumn fruits (like pomelo, persimmons, and dragon fruit), mooncakes, and tea. They admire the bright harvest moon together once the offerings are made.

If stay in a homestay (rather than hotel and resort), visitors can join local families. Ask the host in advance if want to make sure that this activity will 100% take place on the date.

Within some days before the festival, visit local markets (like Hoi An Central Market) to see a variety of cakes, fruits, flowers, plants, ceremonial items,… Your time in Hoi An will be more special a bit.

– Ancestor and Earth God worship: Households set up offerings of food, incense, and joss paper on ancestral altars and at doorways to pay respects to lineage ancestors and invoke blessings from the God of Earth.

Around the day, while walking around old quarters of Hoi An, visitors can see these practices.

– Dressed-up characters and folk games: Performers dress up as characters like the Earth God (Ông Địa) with a large-bellied mask to playfully tease the dancing lion, while children engage in community games, tug-of-war, and traditional circle dances.

It’s possible to see this tradition in the crowds watching the lion/unicorn dances around Hoi An.

Many shops sell clothes and festival objects around Hoi An, mostly for children and decoration purpose.