Giving mooncakes a "new look" with 3D designs and Dong Ho folk paintings.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in Vietnam and several East Asian countries, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest. Customs for the Mid-Autumn Festival are diverse and varied depending on the region and country. Some common Vietnamese customs include preparing a Mid-Autumn feast, carrying lanterns, lion dances, and traditional folk songs.

A month before the Mid-Autumn Festival, it's easy to spot stalls selling mooncakes in a variety of designs and flavors along the main streets. To give a twist to this traditional treat, Thuy Duong has created mooncakes with a new look, featuring 3D designs and Dong Ho folk paintings.

Although her passion for baking began during her student years, it was only four years ago that Thuy Duong started trying her hand at uniquely shaped mooncakes. Being a lover of national culture and traditional baked goods, this young woman in her 20s has dedicated much time and effort to researching different baking methods. Her mooncakes have been given a "new look" with diverse 3D shapes such as carp, buffaloes, Dong Tao chickens, buffalo herders, wells under banyan trees, or Dong Ho folk paintings…

"I've always wanted to make a breakthrough in my career, and mooncakes have always been my top choice because of their relatable appeal. I happened to observe some wooden sculptures with colors similar to mooncakes, so I decided to try my hand at creating mooncakes modeled after these works," Thuy Duong shared.

Regarding ingredients, Thuy Duong still uses traditional crust and filling without changing anything to preserve the rustic flavor of the past. The entire process is the same as making regular mooncakes, the only difference being the shaping.

Unlike traditional square or round mooncakes made with pre-made molds, Thuy Duong had to hone her skills by practicing sculpting for a long time beforehand. Each 3D-shaped mooncake, depicting a sculpted figure, is handcrafted and embodies the meticulousness, precision, and skill of the artisan. "In addition, to make the product more lifelike, I also have to observe the proportions of the character very accurately so that each character created has soul and looks realistic," the young woman in her 20s said.

In the beginning, when she first started making the "new version" of mooncakes, Thuy Duong also faced quite a few difficulties: "I ruined many of the initial products so that I could research the specific baking method and time. Each product has a different baking time and characteristics, and only after ruining it a few times did I gain experience."

Just like a work of art that requires a great deal of creativity, each mooncake is the result of a meticulous process that takes a lot of time to create. "For simple designs, like the teapot set, it takes half a day, but for more elaborate designs, it can sometimes take up to two days," Thuy Duong shared.

Besides 3D sculpted mooncakes, mooncakes shaped like Dong Ho folk paintings are also a product that Thuy Duong has spent a lot of time researching. Still using square or round molds, she has "breathed life" into each mooncake by painting folk paintings onto the surface. The works are inspired by Dong Ho paintings such as the mouse wedding, the yin-yang pig, carp, or images of the Vietnamese countryside, young women in ao dai...

"Folklore remains my biggest source of inspiration. I frequently search online for images that strongly reflect Vietnamese culture, using them as templates and then adding my own creative touches," Thuy Duong said.

Previously, Thuy Duong used to run a mooncake business. However, due to her busy schedule teaching baking classes from North to South Vietnam, she decided to stop selling them. The 3D mooncakes and Dong Ho folk paintings she creates are born from her passion and the challenges she sets for herself. All of her creations are for display only and not for commercial purposes.

"I've also received many phone calls requesting custom-designed cakes. Once, a customer was willing to pay 10 million VND for a chicken-shaped cake, but I firmly refused. I hope the finished product will be displayed for everyone to admire," the young woman in her 20s said.

Upon receiving much support from the public, Thuy Duong expressed her joy and desire to widely share her artistic mooncake creations: "I hope that these products, imbued with traditional elements, will help people recall many old memories and bring that cultural essence closer to everyone's lives."

Phuong Mai is a reporter for Travellive Magazine in Hanoi.

Phuong Mai