Love and share during Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival has long been a special festival for children, a beautiful traditional cultural feature of the nation. This is also an opportunity for the whole society to send love and sharing to the young generation. However, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, when Nghe An is heavily affected by storms and floods, organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival in a way that is both suitable to reality and brings complete joy to children has become a concern of many people.
Thanh Quynh(Implementation) - Technique:Hong Toai• October 5, 2025
To find suitable solutions, Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television had a conversation with Mr. Phan Sy Hien - Deputy Director of the Provincial Children's Support Fund.
PV:It is known that you have been involved in children's work for more than 20 years. So, after more than 20 Mid-Autumn Festivals, what changes have you noticed in children's needs and desires? And to adapt to those changes, what changes has the Fund made in the way it does and organizes the Mid-Autumn Festival for children?
Mr. Phan Sy Hien:After more than 20 years of working with children, I have noticed that the needs of children have changed a lot, closely linked to the changes in social life. Previously, in many mountainous areas where the rate of poor and near-poor households was more than 30%, a simple Mid-Autumn gift of just a cake, a candy, or a lantern was enough to make the children happy. Those seemingly simple things have become special memories in the children's childhood memories.
Along with that, in those Mid-Autumn Festival programs, the children were mostly just in the position of "beneficiaries", sitting below attentively watching the older siblings perform, listening to the adults speak, share, give advice...
But now, as the economic and social life has improved, many areas have escaped poverty, and people's spiritual needs have become more diverse. Children not only have access to digital technology but also have personalities and interests that change with the times. This has led to a clear change in their needs during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Children no longer just want to sit and watch passively, but want to directly participate and express themselves. Some want to stand on stage to perform, others like to participate in games, quizzes, and create joy for themselves and their friends. From a passive position, children today have become the real "subjects" of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is a very remarkable change, because it reflects the process of maturity, confidence and the need to assert themselves of today's children.
Nowadays, Mid-Autumn Festival gifts are not as simple as before. Gifts are not just what you have and want to give, but more importantly, what the children really need and want to receive.
Therefore, the Fund must adapt, organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival not only brings material joy, but more importantly, creates a space for children to participate, be creative and connect. That is also the reason why in recent years, in addition to giving gifts, the Fund has coordinated to organize many Mid-Autumn Festival nights, children's forums, art programs, lion dances, lantern parades... All aim at one common point: To let children be both participants and "main actors" of the festival.
Especially for disadvantaged children, children in remote areas, in addition to the Fund's resources, we always seek to connect businesses and philanthropists to ensure that the children can also enjoy complete joy.
PV:This year, as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, Nghe An is also struggling to endure many storms and floods. In this situation, how has the Children's Support Fund planned to organize the Mid-Autumn Festival in a way that is both practical and brings complete joy to children, especially children in remote areas and those in especially difficult circumstances?
Mr. Phan Sy Hien:This year, based on the fact that Nghe An has just experienced heavy damage due to storms and floods, we have conducted surveys in many affected areas. Areas with heavy damage will be given priority for support. As I discussed earlier, gifts are not just what we have and want to give, but more importantly, what the children really need and want to receive, so we grasp the actual situation. Many children lack school supplies, many children's means of transportation to school were swept away by the flood, and many children need scholarships.
Therefore, in addition to traditional gifts, the Fund has increased resource connections to diversify Mid-Autumn gifts such as cash, school supplies, bicycles, etc. Importantly, this activity is implemented throughout the weeks before Mid-Autumn Festival, to ensure that children have the conditions to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival to the fullest.
Specifically, for the flood-affected areas in Western Nghe An, in September, the Fund coordinated with the Blue Dragon organization and the Canadian Embassy to support 1,660 gifts including necessities, school supplies and cash in 7 communes: Huu Kiem, Chieu Luu, Muong Xen, Tuong Duong, Yen Na, Nga My and Luong Minh, with a total value of 974 million VND. In addition, through a number of businesses, the Fund also gave medicine, backpacks and other gifts to 1,280 families in 8 communes: My Ly, Muong Tip, Na Loi, Muong Xen, Luong Minh, Nhon Mai, Tam Quang, Huu Khuong, with a total value of 1.47 billion VND.
A few days ago, as the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, joy came to many children in Muong Xen commune when the Vietnam Children's Fund gave gifts to 50 children and a water filtration system to Ta Ca Kindergarten with a total value of nearly 100 million VND.
For the key activities on Mid-Autumn Festival, based on the direction of the Provincial Children's Work Steering Committee, the Fund has developed a plan to visit, give gifts and organize a program from September 26 to October 6, with a total budget of nearly 300 million VND. Specifically, at the provincial Mid-Autumn Festival point, we will give nearly 250 gifts and organize Mid-Autumn Festival for children at the Provincial Social Work Center, Vinh SOS Children's Village and the Provincial Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center.
In mountainous areas, such as Quy Chau, My Ly, and Luong Minh communes, hundreds of gifts will be given to children. In particular, in Nhon Mai commune - one of the localities with the most severe damage in storm No. 5, the Fund has connected and accompanied AC Vietnam Co., Ltd. to sponsor 200 gifts with a total value of 100 million VND for children.
Each gift contains the feelings and sharing of the community. However, I think that the most important thing is not only the material gift but also the joy, warmth and feeling of being cared for and respected that the children receive. For the Mid-Autumn Festival programs, although this year is expected to be organized simply and economically, it will not lose the warmth and meaning of the program, with the subject being the children themselves.
PV:Sir, in addition to the "short-term" gifts that children receive during the Mid-Autumn Festival, this year, will the Fund and benefactors prepare more "long-term" gifts that have lasting and practical value to help children benefit in the future?
Mr. Phan Sy Hien:Before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the Fund coordinated to organize free heart surgery for 11 children with congenital heart disease, with a total cost of nearly 700 million VND. Among them, there are children in very difficult circumstances such as Pham Tu Linh (Dien Chau commune, born in 2021), Nguyen Thi An Duyen (Van Tu commune, born in 2024), Nguyen Thi Chat (Quynh Anh commune, born in 2010)... These surgeries were connected by the Fund with sponsors, helping the children have the opportunity to live, play, study and integrate normally with their friends.
In addition, the Fund also maintains long-term scholarship programs. For example, before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the Fund connected with donors to support a scholarship worth 6 million VND for Hoang Thien Tra, born in 2016, in Hai Loc commune. She is in poor health and has to move around in a wheelchair, but she always tries hard to study and achieves excellent results at Nghi Yen Primary School. The scholarship will be maintained long-term, contributing to supporting her to continue going to school and develop her own abilities. In addition, more than 20 other children are being connected with and supported by the Fund with scholarships after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
PV:In order for those good values to continue to be maintained and spread in the following Mid-Autumn Festivals, what message do you want to convey?
Mr. Phan Sy Hien:For me, Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a holiday for children, but also a measure of the community’s concern and sharing for the young generation. The festivals, the gifts, the laughter, the happy eyes of the children… are the living proof of the spread of love.
To make Mid-Autumn Festival more meaningful, always listen to the needs, interests and personalities of the children. From there, design appropriate programs that not only bring immediate joy but also contribute to long-term support for health, learning and capacity development, helping children confidently rise up in life!
PV: Thanks for the chat!
