Mid autumn festival Vietnam is around the corner. Streets over the country are ornately decorated with colorful lanterns, eye-catchy shops selling delectable moon cakes and one of the most attractive and expecting parts of children is mid autumn festival toys. In such a meaningful and joyous occasion, the comeback of many traditional festival toys on a lot of shops and stores marks a positive signal. People now care more about cultural traditions and values attached with their childhood. Ready to turn back the time? Take our hands and let’s come back to our childhood time with us.
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1. Star-shaped lanterns:
One of the traditional mid autumn festival toys is star-shaped lanterns that are a such a familiar item to all generations of Vietnamese people on this occasion. The simple item still exists in the emergence of many modern toys and become more popular in recent years. The lantern has the shape of a five-pointed star. There is a small place to put a candle inside the lantern. Such a meaningful gift for children in Mid autumn festival. If you’re in Hanoi these days, you can easily find the item sold a lot at Hang Ma Street.
2. “đèn cù” – spinning wheel lamps:
Another traditional toy in mid autumn festival is “den cu” which is attached with the childhood of many Vietnamese people. Its name “đèn cù” comes from its shape. “cù” is a traditional game in Vietnam which looks like a spinning top. Making a “đèn cù” takes a lot of work. The process starts with sharpening bamboo sticks to smaller and thinner ones. Knit them into a spinning-top shape. Then stick colorful “kiếng” paper to the frame. Next is to attach a wooden wheel to the frame and tie it with steel wire core so that the lamp can move when pushing back and forth.
Where are you going to enjoy Mid autumn festival? Check out some suggestions from us with Where to go in mid autumn festival in Hanoi.
3. Frog drums – mid autumn festival toys:
Like “đèn cù”, frog drums have the name from their shape. The surface of frog drum is made from buffalo skin. The item is a favorite traditional mid autumn toy of Vietnamese children in the past. When beating, the drum sounds “tung”, “cac” creating exiting and jubilant ambience during the festival.
Another popular type of drum in mid autumn festival is shaking drums. The shaking drums have two plastic balls attached on both sides of the drum. When shaking, the drum brings such a pleasant sound.
Taking about traditional drum, we can’t miss out “bỏi” drum. This mid autumn toy is made from simple materials including clay (to make the drum face), plastic handle, iron rod, pink paper and nylon rope.
The drum face is molded from clay, just a little bigger than the coin, then plugging an iron rod to its sides and then let it dry. After drying, the makers wrap a red paper around the drum face to create a cheerful sound. The final step is to tie a rope, apply a plastic handle to make a drumstick.
“bỏi” drum 
shaking drum
4. Doctor models made from papers:
This mid autumn festival toy illustrates the hope and wish of family to their children that they will study well and later have merit and success. On the full-moon night, these paper doctors are solemnly placed next to the five-fruit tray to worship the Moon.
An indispensable part in Mid autumn festival is to enjoy the delectable moon cakes. Discover these mid autumn cakes with us!
5. Masks:
This traditional toy used to be overwhelmed by modern and eye-catching toys from China. This year, papier-mache masks have gradually reappeared with images of familiar Vietnamese folk characters such as Mr. Địa, Uncle Tễu, Chí Phèo, Thị Nở, etc. There are also masks of characters from foreign fairy tales for children to dress up as their favorite characters on the full moon night.
Let’s head to Hang Ma Street to buy these lovely items with us!
6. Lion’s head models – mid autumn festival toys:
The lion’s head models are one traditional mid autumn toys loved by almost children, presenting for prosperity, good luck and good omen.
If teenage boys have big lion heads, big drums, decorative costumes and clothes to perform lion dances, the children also have smaller lion’s heads, frog drums to indulge their delight in the festival.
The lion head has an inner core made of bamboo and rattan and the outside part is made with cardboard paper and decorated with hand-drawing patterns. Until now, this toy still wins the hearts of parents and children.
7. “tò he” – mid autumn festival toys:
Among the numerous traditional mid-autumn toys that “wake up” the children’s creativity and hyperactivity, tò he guides children to art, craftsmanship and meticulousness. To he is a colorful dream, a funny world of children expressed through fairy characters and lovely animals.
From the familiar ingredients of the field such as glutinous rice flour, natural colors, bamboo sticks, with the creativity and skillfulness, the craftsman make the glutinous rice flour to such vivid animal models with various shapes and emotions shown on their faces.
Learn more about tò he as one of Hanoi gifts from childhood!
My most favorite mid autumn toy is frog drum with a golden fish printed on it. This is the gift my dad gave me when I was five. Whenever going through the colorful Hang Ma Street around Mid-autumn festival and seeing the frog drums sold there, a lot of childhood memories seem to come back in my mind. What is your most loved mid autumn festival toy? Let’s share with us in the comment below. And we still offer 15% discount for all services in Vietnam until 15th September. Apply code: VULAN219 to receive the benefit. Wish you a warm and happy Mid-autumn festival with your family and beloved ones.
