Every year in the eighth lunar month, Vietnam and countries around the world prepare to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This occasion not only brings excitement to children with its abundant fruit platters and vibrant lanterns and masks, but for everyone, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a time for family reunion and gathering. During these days, an indispensable part of the celebration is the mooncake – a familiar treat for East Asians.

For Vietnamese people, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the third most important festival of the year (after Lunar New Year, Cold Food Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival). According to custom, each festival has its own unique cakes associated with the legend and origin of that day. Mentioning the Mid-Autumn Festival cannot be done without mentioning mooncakes, both baked and sticky rice cakes. Admiring the full moon of the eighth lunar month without enjoying a piece of mooncake with a warm cup of tea would truly be incomplete.

With its delicate sweetness and distinctive shape, mooncakes have long represented reunion and togetherness. However, not everyone understands the origin and meaning of mooncakes.

Mooncakes are a type of pastry originating from China, eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Over time, mooncakes in different countries and regions have evolved in shape and flavor. These cakes appeared in Vietnam due to cultural influence from the long period of Chinese rule. They remain popular to this day and have become a characteristic treat for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The history of mooncakes is full of interesting details, especially regarding their name. In Vietnam, the name "mooncake" is commonly used because it's a type of cake that's only widely available during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In China, it's called "Nguyet Binh," and in English, it's called "moon cake," meaning "moon cake," a symbol of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Taking the moon as its symbol, mooncakes are divided into two main types: soft mooncakes and baked mooncakes. However, when people think of mooncakes, they immediately think of baked mooncakes because they are more diverse. Baked mooncakes are round in shape and mainly come with two main fillings: sweet and savory. Sweet fillings include coconut, mung bean, and sesame, while savory fillings are typically mixed fillings.

Besides the round shape, mooncakes are also made in many different shapes, but they still retain the basic ingredients, so the taste remains the same. Depending on the filling, the mooncakes offer different flavors; people often jokingly say that eating mooncakes means the Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived.

Nowadays, the shape and fillings of mooncakes can vary widely, deviating from traditional patterns. However, mooncakes still symbolize reunion, togetherness, and family affection, and remain an indispensable part of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam. Mooncake boxes are also used by Vietnamese people as gifts of gratitude to relatives, friends, business partners, and clients.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also an occasion for families to gather, hold small parties to admire the moon, and enjoy tea. Mooncakes represent the moon with its bright, round, radiant beauty. A pair of baked and glutinous mooncakes symbolizes the yin and yang, with the glutinous mooncake representing the bright, round, and pure moon.

Many Asian countries share the Mid-Autumn Festival due to their common use of the lunar calendar, and Vietnam is no exception. However, traditionally, Vietnamese mooncakes, both baked and glutinous, have their own unique characteristics.

While traditional Chinese mooncakes use glutinous rice flour with a filling of mashed red beans and salted egg or char siu pork, the filling of traditional Vietnamese mooncakes is a mixed assortment: lard and sugar, melon seeds, lime leaves, Chinese sausage or dried chicken, candied winter melon, candied lotus seeds, roasted sesame seeds… mixed with Mai Que Lo rice wine and malt syrup. These ingredients and the perfectly round shape of the cake symbolize a wish for favorable weather, a bountiful harvest, and family reunion.

The traditional method of making mooncakes is also very elaborate. The ingredients must be prepared well in advance, sometimes several months. Specifically, brown sugar is cooked with pineapple or lemon, malt syrup, and lye water (water made from the ash of rice straw after the harvest). After cooking, it is covered and left to simmer for two or three months to develop a beautiful color before being used to make the cakes. This sugar syrup is mixed with the dough so that when baked, the cakes have a beautiful brown color and a soft texture after a day of baking.

The glutinous rice cake wrapper is made from roasted and finely ground flour, mixed with sugar syrup, a little cooking oil, and pomelo flower water for fragrance. The sugar syrup here is different from that of baked cakes; it's simply sugar dissolved in hot water, not cooked elaborately or left to stand for a long time.

What sets traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cakes apart is the subtle yet incredibly pure, refreshing, and captivating aroma of pomelo blossom water. Pomelo blossoms, harvested in March, are steamed, and the vapor condenses on the lid of the pot. This collected vapor is used in making cakes and desserts, a special flavoring for the Vietnamese people.

Through the ups and downs of history, alongside the traditional flavors of mooncakes, countless variations have been created based on the traditional ones. No longer just a delicious treat for the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes today are also a form of art. With the development of society, modern mooncakes have emerged in many unique and eye-catching shapes and colors.

Modern mooncakes come in various fillings such as: mung bean, red bean with salted egg yolk, bamboo charcoal, roast chicken, bird's nest, tiramisu, chocolate, green tea, taro, glutinous rice, coconut milk, black sesame, coffee… Melon seeds can also be replaced with macadamia nuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds…

The crust of baked goods also varies greatly. Depending on personal taste, bakers can be creative by adding different ingredients. The crust is no longer limited to traditional molds; some cakes are decorated with flowers, embossed designs, and various colors, allowing bakers to unleash their creativity. There are also creative variations of puff pastry crusts, with layers of interwoven colors that are incredibly eye-catching.

As for glutinous rice cakes, besides the traditional ones, there are now a variety of fillings, similar to baked cakes. Furthermore, many types of glutinous rice cakes from Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan have been imported, creating incredibly diverse seasonal varieties, such as snow-white glutinous rice cakes, jelly-filled glutinous rice cakes, mochi cakes, and more.

Mooncakes originated in China and were introduced to many other Asian countries. From Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam… each country added its own national cultural identity to the mooncakes.

It can be said that modern mooncakes are truly diverse in shape, color, flavor, and preparation methods. However, it cannot be denied that traditional mooncakes remain the more popular and widely chosen type.

Whether it's a modern or traditional mooncake, ultimately it remains a spiritual element that brings families together on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Not only Vietnam, but many countries in Asia also have their own special types of mooncakes to enjoy during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Due to the influence of China, mooncakes are enjoyed and this festival is also celebrated in other parts of Asia.

In Japan, there are two moon-viewing festivals each year. One of them is Zyuyoga, associated with the ancient custom of "Otsukimi" (meaning moon-viewing on the full moon in mid-autumn). For the people of the Land of the Rising Sun, this is a festival to honor the moon in autumn, when it is at its fullest. During the Otsukimi festival, the Japanese often make Dango, a type of dumpling made from rice flour (mochiko) - quite similar to mochi - and served with tea.

In South Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called Chuseok (Thanksgiving Festival), a day when those who live far away return to their hometowns for family reunions. Typically, the whole family will gather in the kitchen and enjoy traditional dishes such as songpyeon (crescent-shaped rice cakes). On Chuseok, Koreans often shape these cakes into crescent moons, based on the belief that "the crescent moon will eventually become full"—a symbol of happiness and fertility.

In Thailand, mooncakes come in a wide variety. However, the most popular type among the people of the Golden Pagoda is the baked mooncake filled with durian and one or two salted egg yolks. The egg yolks symbolize the round face of the python. The outside is wrapped in a layer of dough shaped to resemble a peach. Thais believe that by doing so, the Eight Immortals will help bring peaches to the moon to wish Guanyin a long life, and the deities will bestow blessings upon everyone.

In Singapore, the Mid-Autumn Festival shares many similarities with Vietnam. Therefore, the flavors of mooncakes in Singapore are also very much to the Vietnamese palate. The most notable is the "chilled mochi mooncake." This mooncake has a mochi outer layer and a filling of chocolate and refreshing fruit jelly. The finished mooncakes are kept refrigerated. When enjoyed, they offer a pleasantly mild sweetness. They pair well with green tea.

In the Philippines, mooncakes are called Hopia. They have a simple appearance, with the emphasis on the filling. The baked pastry has a thin, crispy crust that, when broken open, reveals a generous filling with a variety of flavors. Popular Hopia fillings include mung bean, taro, red bean, purple sweet potato, durian, or pork.

In North Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called "Autumn Night Festival." As darkness falls, Koreans gather to admire the moon. A traditional Korean treat for this occasion is the muffin. These fluffy muffins resemble a crescent moon. They are made from rice flour and filled with bean paste, jam, apples, and other fillings. Koreans often give these muffins as gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival.