Mid-Autumn Festival: Carrying lanterns to go out and play.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, according to the Lunar Calendar, falls on the 15th day of the 8th month each year. It is a festival for children and is also known as the Lantern Festival, the Moon-Viewing Festival, or the Reunion Festival. Children often look forward to this day because they usually receive gifts from adults such as star-shaped lanterns, carp-shaped lanterns, revolving lanterns, masks, and mooncakes.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is incomplete without the image of colorful lanterns shining brightly under the golden moonlight. For Vietnamese people, lanterns come in a variety of colors and are made from everyday materials such as paper, fabric, silk, colorful nylon paper, bamboo, and candles. Traditional Mid-Autumn lanterns come in diverse shapes and carry many different meanings for the Vietnamese people. Among them, the Mid-Autumn Lantern Procession Festival in Phan Thiet is a traditional festival deeply rooted in the coastal culture of Phan Thiet, established over several decades. This festival is held annually (usually on the 13th, 14th, or 15th day of the 8th lunar month).

The Mid-Autumn Festival is fast approaching! Join Vietnam.vn in celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with the people of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan , through the photo series "Mid-Autumn Festival: Carrying Lanterns to Go Out" by author Nguyen Van Anh. This will help you understand why this festival is often called "The Place of Return." It's a traditional festival deeply rooted in the coastal culture of Phan Thiet, where lanterns are transformed into countless vibrant and colorful shapes. The author submitted this photo series to the "Happy Vietnam" photo and video contest, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

Everyone's childhood includes the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family gatherings, carrying lanterns, singing, enjoying feasts, and watching lion and dragon dances. However, as we grow older, the busyness of life causes us to miss or forget those childhood moments, leaving us with only fragmented, incomplete memories. But now there's a place to rediscover those memories, to relive our lost childhood. That place is the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, a festival often called "The Place to Return To." This traditional festival, deeply rooted in the coastal culture of Phan Thiet, has been held in the city for decades.

In 2024, the "Happy Vietnam" photo and video contest continued to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website.   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and above. The competition aims to honor individuals and groups with positive informational products that make practical contributions to promoting a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Through this, it helps people at home, overseas Vietnamese, and international friends access authentic images of Vietnam, its people, its achievements in ensuring human rights, and working towards a happy Vietnam.

Each competition category (photos and videos) has the following prizes and prize values:
– 1 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND
– 2 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND
– 3 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND
– 10 Consolation Prizes: 5,000,000 VND
– The most voted entry: 5,000,000 VND
The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Award Ceremony and Certificate Presentation, which will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television.

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