In the early days of August of the lunar calendar, Hang Ma street begins to enter the busiest business season of the year. Along the street, shops are full of lanterns, lion heads, paper masks, drums, folk toys and many Mid-Autumn decoration products.
Recorded on the evening of September 11, people and tourists have started to come to Hang Ma to visit, shop and take photos. However, compared to the time near the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years, the number of visitors is not too large.
A small trader selling Mid-Autumn toys on Hang Ma street said that at present, customers come to the street mainly to visit, take photos and shop early, while purchasing power has not increased sharply.
This year, the number of customers is not too large, the days of the week are quite normal. We have to wait until the end of the week to be bustling, we take advantage of selling Mid-Autumn goods, serving customers shopping and taking photos," this small trader shared.
According to small traders, the closer to the full moon of August, the number of people taking young children to buy toys and young people coming to Hang Ma to take photos usually increases rapidly. Traditional colors such as star lanterns, masks, lion heads and folk toys still have their own attraction.
Many customers come here now to buy toys for their children, but the majority are still young people going out to play and take pictures. On weekends, the number of customers is higher, so we also have to prepare goods in advance," the small trader said.
This year, the traditional Mid-Autumn Market of the Old Quarter is held on Hang Ma street from September 11th to the end of September 25th, corresponding to from the 1st to the full moon of the 8th lunar month. The market route is located on the section from Hang Ma - Hang Duong intersection to Hang Ma - Hang Cot intersection.
With the theme "Honoring, preserving and spreading traditional Mid-Autumn values", many products associated with the Mid-Autumn memories of Hanoians are introduced on the street such as star lanterns, carp lanterns, thiềm thừ lanterns, paper doctors, paper masks and to he.
The traditional Mid-Autumn space has also become a destination chosen by many young people. Eye-catchingly decorated stores quickly become photo backgrounds, while light from lanterns creates a typical scene of Hang Ma street every moonlit season.
Ms. Chi (23 years old, residing in Long Bien) and her younger brother came to Hang Ma to visit and take photos. According to her, although she has seen many pictures on social networks, directly experiencing the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere here still brings a different feeling.
Although I have seen many pictures on social networks, when I came here directly, I was still surprised. The extremely bustling atmosphere made me look forward to the main festival day to show off beautiful pictures," Ms. Chi shared.
Not only young people, many photographers also come to Hang Ma to record the atmosphere before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mr. Cuong (27 years old, residing in Hoang Mai) said that the large number of people sometimes creates typical frames of the Old Quarter.
The weekend atmosphere is quite crowded, completely different from the daytime atmosphere every time I pass by. I brought my children here to buy lanterns, admire childhood lanterns and enjoy the nostalgic Mid-Autumn atmosphere," he said.
Some stores attract attention with elaborate decorations, including large-sized flower models erected from the ground up near the roof. These decorative corners quickly became locations chosen by many people for photography.
Besides products serving entertainment needs, Hang Ma still retains familiar traditional toys. Star lanterns are priced at about 10,000 - 50,000 VND depending on size; paper lanterns are about 50,000 - 80,000 VND; unicorn-shaped lanterns are priced at about 100,000 - 140,000 VND.
The organization of traditional Mid-Autumn Market also entails changes in traffic in the area. During the market, Hoan Kiem ward organizes 24/24 hour road bans on Hang Ma street from Hang Ma - Hang Duong intersection to Hang Ma - Hang Cot intersection. Vehicle parking points are arranged on Thuoc Bac street, part of Hang Ma street and the Hang Luoc - Hang Ruoi intersection area; including a free parking spot for people living on Hang Ma street.
According to small traders, when entering the weekend days and especially the week close to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the number of visitors is forecast to increase rapidly. This is also the time when Hang Ma street often shifts from the early shopping atmosphere to the crowded and bustling scene typical of the full moon season.
Meanwhile, the activities of the 2026 Old Quarter Mid-Autumn Festival are held in many spaces in the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake area from September 11 to 25, contributing to creating more cultural destinations for people and tourists in this year's Mid-Autumn Festival season.
