The hand-made lantern shop at 18 Dien Bien Phu Street, Da Nang is always crowded with buyers in these days leading up to the Mid-autumn Festival.

All the lanterns are designed by the young shop owner, 23-year-old Tran Thi Thanh Phuong, and they are made using such traditional materials as bamboo and glossy paper.  There are many different shapes including stars, lotuses, butterflies, birds and fish, and prices range from 35,000 VND to 150,000 VND.

Local parents buying lanterns for their children at Phuong’s shop

In addition, buyers can order their own unique 1m x 2.5m lanterns with designs incorporating images of pigs and horses.  These are priced between 200,000 VND and 300,000 VND each.  Children who prefer to draw on their own lanterns can choose ones without any decoration. 

Phuong says that she prefers traditional hand-made lanterns to those imported from China because they are safer for children.  She hopes that her products will make a significant contribution to preserving the traditional culture of the Vietnamese Mid-autumn Festival.

Phuong’s shop has won the trust of local residents, who want to buy safer lanterns for their children and recall the Mid-autumn Festivals of their childhood.