A programme kicked off on September 5 at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts (VECCA), No.2 Hoa Lu street, Hai Ba Trung district to celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival, which is held annually on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Director of the Centre, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai said that the four-day event created a venue to meet the demand of entertainment for children on the Mid-autumn festival.
Through displays and folk games organised during the event, children can learn more about the longstanding national cultural tradition that has been passed down through generations, she said.
The opening saw songs, dances and plays performed by artists and comedians from the Youth Theatre. The artists also interacted with children through short and easy questions on the Mid-autumn Festival.
An exhibition highlighting the study tradition of Vietnamese people also opened on the occasion. Using traditional materials of papers, bamboo and glazed paper, the exhibition displays installation of the character ‘ong nghe’ (doctor), which was the highest academic title in Vietnam’s examination system in the olden days.
The display conveys a message on the importance of study to children in the context where they have just entered a new school year.
A mini water puppetry stage was also set up at the centre to delight young audiences with performances on a traffic safety topic.
Children are also free to develop their creativity and imagination through drawings and playing folk games during the afternoon of September 6. In addition, they can take part in folk games such as tug of war and jumping, and bit mat dap nieu, in which participants are blindfolded and have to try to smash a clay pot.
A colourful lantern procession scheduled at 7:30 pm the day after is expected to attract 400 participants, who will start at the centre and go along Hoa Lu, Le Dai Hanh, Ba Trieu, Dai Co Viet and Hoa Lu streets. The procession will be accompanied with lion dances and martial arts performances.
Artists from the Youth Theatre will bring lots of laughter and fun for young audiences at an arts programme held at 7:30 pm on the full-moon day, which falls on September 8.
Local businesses also offered visitors with many products such as books, cloths, moon cakes, and toys at good prices.