The Mid-Autumn Festival 2027: How to Celebrate Hoi An’s Most Magical Night
Even when it is not full, even when it is not the brightest night of the year, Hoi An is a town that adores the moon. To see a luminous globe rise above rice fields and ancient rooftops, shimmer on dark rivers and canals, and touch the tips of nipa palms is a timeless Hoi An experience. This is why on the Mid-Autumn Festival -- a night when all of Vietnam celebrates the moon in its fullness -- there’s no better place to find yourself than in Hoi An.
Here are five meaningful ways to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2027.
Learn the legends
In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Festival is synonymous with beloved folklore and children’s stories. Among them is the tale Uncle Cuoi, a poor woodcutter who discovered a magical banyan tree. One day, the tree was offended and uprooted itself from his garden. Uncle Cuoi ran to the tree and held tightly to its roots, but the banyan ascended to the sky, carrying the woodcutter with it, and settled on the surface of the moon. Legend says Uncle Cuoi is still there, looking for a way to return to his family and his village.
Embrace the spirit of the festival by learning the full tales of Uncle Cuoi, Hang Nga (the Moon Lady) and Ông Địa, the Earth God.
Light and release a lantern
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Vietnamese children carry lanterns to help Uncle Cuoi find his way home. Traditional lanterns are simple shapes of stars or fish, made with bamboo frames and covered with red cellophane. These are tied to the end of a stick and lit within by candles. In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Festival or Tết Trung Thu is dedicated to children, for whom the night is not complete without a glowing red lantern of one's own.
The Merchant Restaurant is hosting a lantern-lit procession on the evening of the 24th, a beautiful ritual to appreciate the year’s brightest full moon.
Have a mooncake tea party
One Mid-Autumn tradition everyone looks forward to, regardless of age, is the making and sharing of mooncakes. Decades ago, mooncakes were made in two forms: square cakes baked with a mix of rich savoury fillings, or round cakes with fresh sticky rice skins and mung bean filling. Finding a salted egg yolk in your mooncake was considered a special piece of luck. Today, bakeries in Vietnam prepare countless mooncake flavours with beautiful packaging for families to share and businesses to gift.
Enjoy a time-honored tradition by gathering with loved ones under the full moon, sipping hot herbal tea, and nibbling slices of mooncake.
Watch a dramatic lion dance
While the sight of the festival may be red lanterns, and the taste of the festival may be mooncakes, the sound of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the drums of lion dancers. Troupes of lion dance performers practice in the weeks leading up to the festival. Their rhythmic drums can be heard throughout the streets of Hoi An on the night itself. Hosts pay for these dramatic, acrobatic lion dances to be performed as a way to ward away evil spirits. To watch a lion dance is pure entertainment for young and old.
Gather with loved ones
In Hoi An, the Mid-Autumn Festival arrives on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, after the rice harvest season. These days are seen as a time for reunion with family after the hard work of the harvest is over. A table is set in the garden, special foods are offered to ancestors, and incense burns on every altar. While children stay up late playing games, singing songs, and watching lion dances, adults sip tea or wine and catch up with each other. The scene is one of ancient memories, of harmony with nature and gratitude for the earth’s abundance.
On the evening of the 24th, The Merchant Restaurant is inviting guests and travelers to Full Moon Feast, a Mid-Autumn buffet dinner on the banks of the Thu Bon River. The program begins at 17:00 with a guided walking meditation through the lantern-lit gardens of Namia River Retreat, after which guests will be invited to enjoy a seasonal buffet, showcasing sustainably sourced ingredients.
Live stations will dish up bowls of vegetarian Bun Rieu and lobster Mi Quang, Vietnamese specialities will be served sharing-style, and chefs will present a wide array of authentic local and original dishes. The buffet will also offer a selection of traditional sweets, herbal tea, and handcrafted mooncakes, all enjoyed in a warm, riverside setting in the spirit of the festival.
The Merchant Full Moon Feast is priced at VND 1,800,000++ per guest, and takes place from 18:00 to 20:00 on Thursday, 24 September 2026. To reserve, please send message via our events page or email: book@merchanthoian.com