Preserving the beauty of the old Mid-Autumn Festival through nostalgic spaces

Photo caption — A coffee shop recreates the old Mid-Autumn Festival with a nostalgic space.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, the festive atmosphere has begun to permeate every corner of Ho Chi Minh City. Besides the moon cake stalls and the streets decorated with colorful lanterns, many people come to coffee shops decorated in a nostalgic style, recreating memories of a past Tet reunion season. These spaces are not only places to enjoy drinks but also become a cultural destination, a bridge connecting the past and the present.

These traditional spaces quickly attracted the attention of many customers, especially families and young people. Ms. Duong Ngoc (Binh Hung Hoa ward) said that she found the shop through social networks and decided to bring her children and grandchildren to play before the Mid-Autumn Festival because it was so beautiful. "I was deeply impressed with the old-fashioned Mid-Autumn Festival style of the shop. It felt like I was returning to my childhood," Ms. Ngoc shared.

“The shop recreates the old atmosphere with traditional lanterns shaped like dragons, fish, crabs and lion heads. What I like is that these lanterns are made in the traditional style with bamboo frames and cellophane, which is rare in shops,” Ms. Duong Ngoc added.

Even young guests like Tuyet Nhung (6 years old) were extremely excited: "I like the fish lantern, crab lantern, lion lantern the most... I want to come here to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with my friends."

To create nostalgic spaces, the owners have not hesitated to invest time, effort and money. Mr. Phan Nguyen Van Ngoc, owner of Cu Coffee Shop (Binh Tan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that his idea was to incorporate old elements into the settings to make it easy to take pictures and to remind people of the old days. The cost for decoration alone was about 100 million VND.

Mr. Ngoc shared: “The impressive highlight of the restaurant is the dragon model inspired by the image of the dragon of the Ly Dynasty, with a slender, gentle appearance and praying for national peace and prosperity. The image of a dragon flying on a five-colored cloud also symbolizes luck and peace.”

Mr. Ngoc also shared a large scene made from more than 100 star lanterns, creating a setting that is both ancient and impressive enough for young people. In total, the space of the restaurant uses nearly 500 lanterns of all kinds, from Hoi An lanterns to traditional Mid-Autumn lanterns.

“The lantern products are all made from traditional materials such as cellophane and bamboo, the designs are completely hand-painted and not stylized like modern lanterns today,” said Mr. Ngoc.

“In addition, the shop also recreates familiar images of the old Mid-Autumn Festival such as the five-fruit tray, a symbol of the reunion festival, and displays funny and playful to he products. Next to it is a childhood grocery counter selling candies and old toys, helping people remember the memories of their fathers and uncles' generation,” Mr. Ngoc added.

Similarly, a representative of Hin Coffee Shop (Dong Hung Thuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) also said: “The decoration idea of the shop comes from Vietnamese festivals and Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the occasions that the shop started decorating very early. Compared to last year, the scale of this year's decoration will be grand and rich in concept. Currently, the shop has two main concepts, an area in front of the door designed with a miniature house with traditional lanterns and a large phoenix, an inner garden is a flower garden with lotus lanterns and lion heads".

Ms. Pham Quynh Nga (living in Ho Chi Minh City) shared: “The shop here is very beautifully decorated. Although it is not yet Mid-Autumn Festival, I am very excited to come here to take pictures and check in. I hope to have beautiful pictures to introduce to my friends about these interesting places.”

The feeling of nostalgia is also the feeling of many people as soon as they enter the shop. Ms. Nguyen Huu Ngoc (Binh Tan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) shared: "When I first entered the shop, I felt that the shop brought a close space, nostalgic for childhood memories. I was especially impressed with the crab lantern because it was different from the other lanterns. It has something special of its own."

To have a beautiful photo album, many young people have prepared very carefully, from renting costumes to finding makeup artists. Ms. Doan Thi Anh (residing in Tay Thanh ward, Ho Chi Minh City) shared: "I took advantage of going early, when there were few people, to take satisfactory photos. I rented this costume and made an appointment with the makeup artist two days ago. When I was a child, Mid-Autumn Festival in the countryside was much more fun, but now the times have developed so I want to go take photos to keep beautiful memories for myself."

For the shop owners, decorating the space with the theme of the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival is not only for business purposes. Ms. Huyen Tran shared: “The shop feels very happy because it can bring the good traditions of Vietnam to customers, young people can learn more about the ancient traditions of Vietnam. In the past, Mid-Autumn Festival was for children, but now Mid-Autumn Festival is for everyone, all ages”.

Through meticulously cared-for spaces, handmade lanterns and toys reminiscent of a bygone era, coffee shops not only create a place for entertainment but also contribute to preserving and spreading the beauty of traditional culture. These efforts help the young urban generation have the opportunity to experience and touch the Mid-Autumn memories of their ancestors, thereby loving and appreciating the good cultural values of the nation.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/gin-giu-net-dep-trung-thu-xua-qua-nhung-khong-gian-hoai-niem-20250921122454246.htm