The lantern street
Hang Ma has been Hanoi's paper-goods street since the guild era. For 3 weeks before the mid-autumn full moon (Sep-Oct, exact date lunar — 2026 falls on 25 September), it's a river of red star lanterns, dragon lanterns, and drum masks. Go at 7-9pm on a weeknight; weekends are impassable. Buy a $2 star lantern to give to a child, or a $5 traditional paper carp — the shopkeepers still make them by hand upstairs.
The food that only appears now
Banh trung thu (mooncakes) are the sweet: lotus paste, mung bean, salted duck yolk. Best traditional makers: Bao Phuong on Thuy Khue, Bao Ngoc on Hang Bong — $2-5 per cake. Skip the boxed hotel versions (Metropole does one at $60 for six, tourist tax). Also seasonal: com (young green rice) from Vong village, sold on Hang Than by women in conical hats, $3 wrapped in lotus leaf — a Hanoi autumn tradition dating to the 11th century.
Where to see the real festival
Skip the touristy Hang Ma photo scrum on festival night itself. Instead, on the full moon evening, go to Ma May's Heritage House ($1) for their courtyard lion dance and mooncake tasting, 7-9pm. Or head to Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) for the lantern procession. Best of all: the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology puts on 2-3 days of children's activities the weekend before — sticky rice pounding, lion-dance workshops, mask painting. Genuinely delightful and $2 entry.
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