«Đêm rằm Hoàng cung» (Full-moon night in the Imperial City)

   The mid-autumn full moon inside the Imperial City is a different proposition from the same night on the street: lanterns strung along old halls, drums carrying over the citadel walls, and enough space that a crowd never quite breaks the quiet.

   The programme falls on 24 September 2026, the eve of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month — the night before the full moon — inside Đại Nội, staged by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre as part of the autumn block of Festival Huế 2026. The city's official events calendar lists the programme on that one date only.

   Past editions centred on a lantern display and installation at Phủ Nội Vụ and the stage behind it. In 2025 the display gathered Bao La bamboo-and-rattan lanterns, folding lanterns by CAN Studio and traditional lanterns from artisans of Gifu prefecture in Japan, alongside court games — đầu hồ, bài vụ, xăm hường — and calligraphy. Those activities were open without an entrance ticket that year.

   It suits families with children, anyone who photographs architecture after dark, and travellers who want to see Đại Nội in a state daytime visits never show. Three days earlier, on 21 September, the lion and dragon parade with lanterns moves through the streets — the two work well as a pair.

   Opening hours and entry conditions for this year are normally published a week or two beforehand. If your trip covers late September, keep this evening free.