The countryside is bustling with activity as people wrap banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

These days, people in many localities in Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, etc., are joining hands to contribute funds to organize the making of banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to give to children to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the photo: People in My Son hamlet, Thanh Yen commune (Thanh Chuong) prepare banana leaves to wrap banh chung for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Huy Thu

After the village head announced the specific time for wrapping the rice cakes over the loudspeaker, people from all the villages gathered at the community center and enthusiastically participated in wrapping the cakes. In My Son village, Thanh Yen commune (Thanh Chuong district), they slaughtered one pig and prepared over 100 kg of sticky rice to wrap 400 rice cakes to give to children, lonely elderly people in the village, and children who had returned home from afar to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Huy Thu

The atmosphere was bustling, joyful, and filled with community spirit on the faces of many villagers as they participated and contributed to making the Lunar New Year celebration complete for the children. Photo: Huy Thu

This year, Thuan Son commune (Do Luong district) has two hamlets, Thuan Dong and Thuan Phu, that are making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Thuan Dong hamlet alone made 500 cakes. From the morning of September 8th, the villagers started making the cakes with all the necessary ingredients: sticky rice, pork, mung beans, pickled onions, etc. (Photo: Huy Thu)

These sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng and bánh tét), made from glutinous rice, mung beans, pork, and banana leaves from the garden, are the collective effort of the entire neighborhood, encapsulating the love and affection everyone has for the children. Photo: Huy Thư

After the rice cakes are wrapped, people bring large pots to cook them right in the middle of the community center's courtyard or take them back to their homes to cook. The night of cooking rice cakes to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival will be a festive night for adults and children in the neighborhoods. Photo: Huy Thu

Besides making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), the people of My Son hamlet, Thanh Yen commune (Thanh Chuong district) also practice performing arts with traditional musical instruments such as the tam vong drum, small drum, slingshot, and even bamboo trays... to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the children. Photo: Huy Thu

Young people organized rehearsals for cultural performances, designed palanquins to carry portraits of President Ho Chi Minh, and made star-shaped lanterns... to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival at the commune headquarters and in the hamlets. Photo: Huy Thu

In some localities, people even join hands to set up camps and design unique camp gates to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching throughout the villages of Nghe An province, and depending on specific conditions, localities organize celebrations for children in the most appropriate way. Mr. Ngo Quoc Quyen, head of My Son hamlet, Thanh Yen commune, happily shared: “After two years of temporary calm due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year, with a spirit of solidarity and voluntarism, the people of My Son hamlet will organize a lively, vibrant, practical, and meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping that the children will have a fulfilling, warm, and joyful festival.” Photo: Huy Thu