A moonlit night filled with love.

Being able to draw their favorite lanterns with their own hands and sing the "Lantern Procession in August" song with their peers and those in similar circumstances, orphaned and disabled children at shelters and boarding houses had a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival filled with laughter.

Special moon season

Holding a rooster-shaped lantern in his hand, 7-year-old Nguyen Thien An, who lives at Thien An Orphanage, intently watched the magician's movements on stage. Beside Thien An, 8-year-old Tran Hong Hanh, also from the orphanage, clapped and cheered as doves flew up from the magician's cloak. The atmosphere at the "Season of Loving Moonlight" program, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Protection of Disabled People and Orphans, became even more lively with the addition of captivating circus performances following the magic show.

The Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society presented Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to children at Thien Than Orphanage (Long Truong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City).

200 orphaned, disabled, and disadvantaged children living at Thien An Shelter, Binh Thanh Hope School for the Deaf, and the Vocational Training Center in Xuan Hoa ward (Ho Chi Minh City) had the opportunity to enjoy themselves, receive gifts from Uncle Cuoi and Sister Hang, and share mooncakes together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival amidst joyful laughter.

Nestled near the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital (facility 2, Tang Nhon Phu ward), the Thien Tam zero-cost boarding house – considered a beloved second home for children with cancer – was filled with laughter and chatter that day as a delegation from the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross visited and presented Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to the children. Holding the lantern given to him by the delegation, 7-year-old Nguyen Phuc Nguyen from Ca Mau province happily ran around the room. “Now the children will have a warm Mid-Autumn Festival,” said Nguyen Duc Linh, the caretaker at the boarding house.

A practical gift

Receiving a meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival gift at a time when his family was facing hardship, Mr. Nguyen Anh Vinh, a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Motorbike Taxi and Technology-Based Vehicle Union (residing in Phu Dinh ward), was moved to tears. "My children have mooncakes to celebrate the full moon, and my wife has extra money for her medical treatment," Mr. Vinh said with joy.

Mr. Vinh is the sole breadwinner in a family of six: his elderly mother is frail and unable to work, his sister has intellectual disabilities, his two young children are of school age, and his wife, Ms. Nguyen Le Vi Thuy, formerly a shoe factory worker in Tan Tao ward, quit her job in May 2025 after being diagnosed with cancer. The Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor (HCMCFL) and the HCMCFL Social Work Center provided his family with 20 million VND in financial assistance and two Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. The HCMCFL Social Work Center also provided Mr. Vinh's family with a 5 million VND savings account. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and the Phu Dinh Ward Labor Union also donated bicycles to help Mr. Vinh's children get to school.

The "Mid-Autumn Festival of Love" program, organized by Task Force No. 7 of the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Union on the evening of October 2nd, provided nearly 130 children of workers with a meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival night. These children, orphaned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had the opportunity to interact, play games, and receive gifts from Uncle Cuoi and Sister Hang. Mr. Dang Trung Dung, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Union, expressed that each Mid-Autumn Festival gift was not only practical support but also a token of affection and sharing from the labor union to the children of union members, workers, and laborers.

This year, the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor Unions is providing over 1,200 Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to the children or themselves of union members and workers facing difficulties, work accidents, occupational diseases, serious illnesses; and orphaned children due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the occasion of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union organized a Children's Painting Festival with the theme "Independent Mid-Autumn Festival". The festival took place at 5 locations in Ho Chi Minh City, attracting approximately 5,000 participants aged 6-14. With the theme "Independent Mid-Autumn Festival", the children expressed through their paintings images rich in historical and cultural significance: the independent Mid-Autumn Festival of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; President Ho Chi Minh celebrating the festival with children...

THAI PHUONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dem-trang-dong-day-yeu-thuong-post816278.html