'The Mid-Autumn Festival is the only one like it all year round': Rural markets in Nghe An province are as bustling as Tet (Vietnamese New Year).
Huy Thu•September 5, 2025 13:03
"The whole year is celebrated with the Full Moon of the Seventh Month / The whole year is celebrated with the Full Moon of the First Month," the rural markets in many areas of Nghe An province are preparing to welcome the Full Moon Festival, bustling and lively like Tet markets.
From the 13th day of the 7th lunar month, the atmosphere in the rural markets preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival (Rằm tháng Bảy) has become bustling, and the closer it gets to the festival, the more crowded it becomes. People crowd the market entrances. In the photo: The road leading to Cồn Market, Xuân Dương commune (formerly Thanh Dương commune, Thanh Chương district). Photo: Huy ThưRural markets on the full moon day are bustling with vendors and customers; under the sturdy roofs of communal houses or amidst rows of makeshift stalls, people buy, sell, and exchange goods in a lively atmosphere. Photo: Huy ThuThe fruit stalls offer a wide variety of fruits for the Mid-Autumn Festival offerings. People freely choose their favorite fruits to arrange on their family and clan altars... Photo: Huy ThuIt seems bananas are the most popular item sold. In rural markets during the full moon festival, every market displays a large quantity of bananas, both green and ripe. Many banana growers hope their bananas ripen in time for the full moon festival or Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Photo: Huy ThuBanana prices in rural markets before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year are not as expensive as in previous years. Each bunch of premium, royal bananas costs around 30-40 thousand dong. Photo: Huy ThuPaper offerings are an important part of the offerings for the Full Moon Festival, so people going to the market for the Full Moon Festival often prioritize buying them early. Elderly vendors selling paper offerings are popular because customers receive detailed instructions from the elderly on how to buy and burn them on the Full Moon Day. (Photo: Huy Thư)The elderly women are also popular betel nut vendors. This year, betel nuts at the rural market cost from 3,000 to 5,000 dong per nut. Shoppers usually choose green, large, young, and soft betel nuts, suitable for religious ceremonies. Photo: Huy ThuRural markets on the full moon day also sell many specialty fruits characteristic of each region, such as persimmons and black olives... People in many mountainous communes of Nghe An province often believe that a plate of black olives must be on the offering tray on the full moon day, so many people go to the market to buy them for the full moon offering. Black olives at the full moon market cost from 80,000 to 100,000 VND/kg. Photo: Huy ThuMothers and grandmothers go to the market on the full moon day not only to buy offerings and food for the festival, but also to socialize, chat, inquire about each other's health, and share stories of the full moon days of the past, filled with cherished memories. Photo: Huy ThuDepending on the locality, rural markets are held daily or only every other day as regulated. People going to rural markets are happy to buy many clean, fresh, and delicious goods for the Mid-Autumn Festival offerings, such as fruits, green tea, chicken, etc. Photo: Huy ThuRural markets in Nghe An province, celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the 7th lunar month), are bustling and lively, much like Tet (Lunar New Year) markets. These rural markets best reflect the atmosphere of preparation for the festival in the countryside. Photo: Huy ThuA bustling rural market. Video: Huy Thu
