Each year, as the eighth lunar month arrives, Hanoi transforms. The streets of the Old Quarter — including our own Đào Duy Từ — fill with colorful paper lanterns, drums, and the sweet smell of fresh mooncakes. This is Tết Trung Thu, the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of Vietnam's most cherished celebrations.
A Festival for Children — and for Everyone
Originally a harvest celebration to give thanks under the year's brightest full moon, Tết Trung Thu has evolved into a festival especially loved by children, who parade through the streets carrying star-shaped lanterns and lion dance troupes performing to the beat of drums. But it's just as much a night for family — a pause to gather, share food, and look up at the same moon that generations before us have admired.
Mooncakes: More Than a Dessert
No Mid-Autumn celebration is complete without bánh trung thu — mooncakes filled with lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, green bean, or five-spice nuts. Sharing a mooncake, cut into small wedges for everyone at the table, is itself a small ritual of togetherness.
Lanterns Everywhere You Look
If you've dined with us in the evening, you've likely noticed our ceiling glowing with dozens of handmade silk lanterns — a nod to the same lanterns that light up Hanoi's streets during this festival. They're a small reminder that at Hanoi Cuisine 1925, tradition isn't just on the menu; it's part of the atmosphere.
If you're visiting Hanoi during Mid-Autumn season, take an evening stroll through the Old Quarter to see the lanterns for yourself — then join us for dinner and taste the season's spirit on your plate.
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