Nguyen Thi Tuyen holds a traditional star-shaped lantern in her hands. The woman resides in Hau Ai village, Van Canh commune, Hanoi’s suburban district of Hoai Duc. Her village is about 15km from the central area of the capital city. Tuyen, born in 1964, is well known in her community for her dedicated work of making traditional lanterns every Mid-Autumn festival. Experiencing many ups and downs, her family is one of the rare that maintain the craft despite the dominance of modern, plastic toys over traditional ones. The lanterns are made completely by hand from simple materials such as bamboo, and coloured cellophane sheets. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Nguyen Thi Tuyen represents the third generation in her family pursuing the handicraft of making traditional lanterns for children on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn festival. She said she has spent more than four decades of her life creating the toy. Apart from mooncakes, lanterns of all shapes and sizes are among the most popular items sold during the festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The festival, a special occasion for family reunion and especially for children, has been celebrated annually in many Asian countries for several hundreds of years. Known as Tet Trung Thu in Vietnamese, it is also commonly referred to as the "Children's Festival". (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Unlike imported toys, materials to make the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns, particularly star-shaped ones, are mainly coloured cellophane sheets and schizostachyum – a tall or shrub-like tropical genus of bamboo. With all assembly done completely by hand, there are many steps throughout the process. These include splitting the bamboo to make a star-shaped frame and covering the frame with coloured cellophane sheets for decoration. There are normally three sizes of star-shaped lanterns with diameters of 30cm, 40cm or 50cm. The craft has been passed down from generation to generation. Many old folks continue to do the job because they still nurture a great love for it. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
In picture is the hand of a craftsman gluing coloured cellophane sheets on a star-shaped frame made from schizostachyum. According to Nguyen Thi Tuyen, who has spent more than four decades of her life creating the toy, perfecting a traditional start-shaped lantern before putting it up for sale takes a lot of steps. With all assembly done completely by hand, there are many steps throughout the process from splitting the bamboo to make a star-shaped frame to covering the frame with coloured cellophane sheets for decoration. Each step requires the makers to be meticulous. They must put their mind and heart into every single product, Tuyen said. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
All stages of producing a traditional lantern are done by hand, from making frames, cutting coloured cellophane sheets, and gluing them on the frames for decoration, Nguyen Thi Tuyen said. To the veteran artisan, forming the frame is the most elaborate of the painstaking process. Unlike imported toys, materials to make the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns are mainly coloured cellophane sheets and schizostachyum – a tall or shrub-like tropical genus of bamboo. The lanterns are a joyful feature of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month and is a special occasion for family reunion. Known as Tet Trung Thu in Vietnamese, it is also commonly referred to as the "Children's Festival". (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Nguyen Thi Tuyen’s daughter, Nguyen Thi Anh, is making a traditional star-shaped lantern. Anh has been following her mother's career since when she was a child. Her mother is well known in their Hau Ai village in Hanoi’s Hoai Duc district for her dedicated work toward the children’s toy, which has so far spanned more than four decades. Experiencing many ups and downs, their family is one of the rare that maintain the craft despite the dominance of modern, plastic toys over traditional ones. Tuyen and Anh represent the third and fourth generations in the family pursuing the handicraft of making traditional lanterns. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Every Mid-Autumn festival, Nguyen Thi Tuyen's family produces between 500 and 700 lanterns of all kinds from the shapes of stars, fish, rabbits, and shrimp, among others. The lanterns are a joyful feature of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Known as Tet Trung Thu in Vietnamese, it is a special occasion for family reunion, often commonly referred to as the "Children's Festival". In Vietnam, on the occasion, children join parades in the dark under the full moon with candle-lit lanterns of various forms, shapes, and colours. Traditionally, lanterns signify the wish for the sun's light and warmth to return after winter. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
A traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lantern in the shape of a rabbit. It takes a long time to make a lantern of this kind, however each finished product is sold for only 30,000 - 40,000 VND (1.25 - 1.67 USD). With the rapid development of society, the toy market for children in the mid-autumn season has changed. Many toys are imported from other countries, while traditional products are slowly disappearing. However, some artisans still spend their day making lanterns in the hope that old-fashioned Mid-Autumn festival toys will survive and the festival’s spirit from previous generations be preserved. Some of the craftspeople say the work is their life and a memory of their lineage. If someone wants a new lantern, they are happy to make one. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns piled up in a corner inside the house of Nguyen Thi Tuyen in Hau Ai village, Van Canh commune, Hanoi’s suburban district of Hoai Duc. Her family is one of the rare that maintain the craft despite the dominance of modern, plastic toys over traditional ones. It takes a long time to make a lantern of this kind, however each finished product is sold for only 30,000 - 40,000 VND (1.25 - 1.67 USD). In addition, there is only one season for selling the toys a year and the profit earned is not much. Perhaps it is the love for children and passion for the traditional craft that has helped Tuyen keep making laterns for more than 40 years. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
‘I wish the traditional lanterns will always exist in the memory of children. It is the children who will keep these charming folk culture shining on through years,' said Nguyen Thi Tuyen. The artisan, born in 1964, is well known in her community for her dedicated work of making traditional lanterns every Mid-Autumn festival. Representing the third generation in her family pursuing the handicraft, she has spent more than four decades of her life creating the toy. Experiencing many ups and downs, her family is one of the rare that maintain the craft despite the dominance of modern, plastic toys over traditional ones. The lanterns are made completely by hand from simple materials such as bamboo, and coloured cellophane sheets. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Since the 1990s, traditional Vietnamese lanterns have been facing tough competition from battery-powered, plastic products made in China. Chinese products have flooded the Vietnamese market for many years. Most of Mid-Autumn lanterns in the market are made in China. However, Vietnamese consumers have returned to the traditional products in the last few years. Such a trend is the motivation for toy makers like Nguyen Thi Tuyen and members of her family to have more determination and courage to continue keeping their craft alive. Some of the craftspeople say the work is their life and a memory of their lineage. If someone wants a new lantern, they are happy to make one. (Photo: VietnamPlus) VNA
