Ong Hao Village - A shining corner of Mid-Autumn Festival memories

Every autumn, as the fragrant aroma of freshly roasted rice wafts through the air, Ong Hao craft village in Hung Yen becomes a meeting place of colors and memories. Here, traditional folk toys not only adorn the Mid-Autumn Festival but also fully evoke the essence of the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival.

Báo Nhân dân•09/08/2025

Artisan Vu Huy Dong creates Mid-Autumn Festival toys.

For a long time, Ong Hao village, Nguyen Van Linh commune, Hung Yen province has been known as one of the cradles of traditional Mid-Autumn Festival toy making in Northern Vietnam. The village's traditional craft dates back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.

With skillful hands and unwavering dedication to their craft, the artisans here create papier-mâché masks, frog drums, lion heads, revolving lanterns, star-shaped lanterns, and more—not just for fun, but also to preserve the spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival, deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. Each item is a culmination of exquisite craftsmanship and folk creativity, imbued with the love of culture that the local people have for this moon festival.

Although the path to preserving and passing on the craft here is fraught with difficulties, in recent years, Ong Hao toy village has been undergoing a strong transformation. Thanks to the joint efforts of artisans, the community, and young people who love national culture, traditional folk toys have returned to schools, museums, and traditional festivals. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a time for family reunions but also a space for the revival and spread of traditional values.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, as we celebrate this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, the traditional folk toys of Ong Hao village continue to quietly tell the story of an ancient craft village.

Although many households in Ong Hao village have switched to other professions, the family of artisan Vu Huy Dong still persistently keeps the traditional craft alive. His house has become a familiar stop for tourists who want to learn about the craft of making Mid-Autumn Festival toys here.

Each household in the village that makes Mid-Autumn Festival toys can sell tens of thousands of pieces each season. This has led to a busy schedule for the craftspeople, forcing them to start the season earlier.

According to artisan Vu Huy Dong, 71 years old, who has been involved in the craft of making papier-mâché masks for over 40 years, Hao village is one of the few places that can celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival early. About a month before the full moon of the eighth lunar month, traders begin flocking to the village to collect goods. Each year, the number of products ordered increases significantly.

To create a toy, the maker must go through several main stages. First, cardboard and white paper are pressed onto a cement mold using cassava paste to create a rough shape. After drying, the rough product is painted and decorated by hand, breathing life into whimsical shapes.

Making papier-mâché masks isn't difficult, but to create a truly soulful product, the craftsman needs skill and meticulousness at every stage, especially in the final coloring and drawing steps.

Amidst the dazzling but soulless market of mass-produced toys, the products of Lieu Xa village still hold a unique place – simple, rustic, yet captivating. Currently, a paper mask or lion head costs around 50,000 VND. Frog drums, depending on size, range from 20,000 VND to 200,000 VND each.

Mid-Autumn Festival toys from Ong Hao village come in a variety of shapes, mimicking characters such as Thi No, Chi Pheo, Ong Dia, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and various animals, priced from 20,000 to 50,000 VND per piece.

Each handcrafted product not only brings innocent joy to childhood but also serves as a cultural bridge, connecting traditional values that are being overshadowed by time and the modern pace of life.

Making Mid-Autumn Festival toys not only provides a stable income for households but also contributes to local economic development. This motivates artisans and skilled craftsmen, giving them peace of mind to preserve and promote their traditional craft.

In recent years, in order to create novelty and appeal, the people of Ong Hao village have continuously innovated, incorporating comic book characters such as Spider-Man, Batman, princesses, and princes into their products, catering to the diverse tastes of children.

From simple, rustic bamboo drum frames, the craftsmen of Hao village skillfully cover them with leather and handcraft them to create meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival drums.

Thanks to the dedication and passion of the artisans, these traditional folk toys are asserting their cultural significance, creating a unique mark for each Mid-Autumn Festival.

Amidst the lively drumming of the lion dance during the full moon festival, the folk toys in Ong Hao village quietly tell the story of the craft village, of a beautiful aspect of Vietnamese culture that is being preserved and passed down through generations of people here.

Nguyen The Duong

Nhandan.vn

Source: https://nhandan.vn/lang-ong-hao-vung-sang-cua-ky-uc-trung-thu-post899550.html