Mid-Autumn night «Trăng yêu thương» (Moon of Love)

   This year the full moon of the eighth lunar month gives Phu Quoc one more place to be: the courtyard of the Truc Lam Ho Quoc monastery, where 1,500 gift parcels are waiting for children who rarely get a full Mid-Autumn celebration.

   On 23 September 2026 the Phu Quoc Special Zone authorities and the Truc Lam Ho Quoc monastery are holding the Mid-Autumn night «Trăng yêu thương» («Moon of Love»). The programme brings folk games, a lion and dragon dance, a lantern procession, the traditional meeting with Chi Hang and Chu Cuoi, and the handing out of 1,500 gift parcels to children in difficult circumstances.

   The night caps a whole season of preparation. In the monastery kitchen more than 30 young volunteers have been kneading dough, shaping fillings and baking - each cake goes through the oven twice - with some 3,500 to 4,000 mooncakes expected this season. One volunteer said she swapped her work shift to come and bake from early morning.

   Ahead of the festival, on 14 and 15 September 2026, cakes and gifts crossed the sea to children of the Tho Chau Special Zone - the part the organisers consider the heart of the whole effort: distance should not decide which children get a childhood memory.

   According to Thay Tue Khong, the programme is meant to create a warm and complete Mid-Autumn season that children can enjoy together with their families on the festival of reunion.

   The evening suits families with small children who are on Phu Quoc for the full moon, travellers who would rather see an island community's Mid-Autumn than a city one, and anyone drawn to the atmosphere of a temple festival on a moonlit night.

   The start time, entry conditions and a detailed hour-by-hour programme have not been announced - it is worth checking the monastery's page closer to the date.