She is the only one left in her village who does this work, and she only works one month a year. But Nguyen Thi Tuyen never gives up making traditional toys for the Mid-Autumn Festival. For her, the craft is her lifeblood, her way of passing on cultural traditions to young children.

Nguyen Thi Tuyen is busy making Mid-Autumn toys for customers. Photo: Cong Phuong

In the past, every Mid-Autumn Festival, households in Ai Hau Village, Van Canh Commune, Hoai Duc District, about 10 kilometers from Hanoi, were busy making lanterns to supply the market.

The village was laden with trucks waiting to load star lanterns, carp lanterns and traditional toys for delivery to other places. Ai Hau Village is known as the cradle of lantern making in the ancient capital.

Nowadays, industrially mass-produced toys with sounds and flashy colors have captured children's interest, and the traditional craft in Ai Hau Village has gradually faded. At present, there is only one female craftswoman pursue the tradition, who still holds on to the trade no matter what, especially around every Mid-Autumn Festival.

Nguyen Thi Tuyen is still determined to stick with the craft. Photo: Cong Phuong

Artisan Nguyen Thi Tuyen made the toys since she was eight years old. At first, she just helped her father glue colored paper. As she grew older, she began to handle the frames and later made all the steps on her own. She still remembers her first day, when she glued pieces of colored paper to the tail of a carp lantern. More than 50 years later, she is still at it.

"I still do this work because I love it, because I want to preserve the traditional trade of the village and my ancestors. I'm the third generation of traditional Mid-Autumn toy makers here. This job is like my own flesh and blood," Tuyen shared.

She also noted that handmade products require perseverance, meticulousness and ingenuity. Cutting corners is absolutely not allowed, as each type of toy is associated with folk tales and the traditional education left by the ancestors.

Tuyen shares with reporter about the meaning of a toy paper scholar. Photo: Cong Phuong

Pointing to the newly completed paper scholar, Tuyen explained that in the past, the  Mid-Autumn Festival children's feast tray always included a paper scholar, because it represented parents' and grandparents' hope that their children would do well academically and have a bright future. 

The meaning is clear, but making the toys is not easy. Tuyen and her husband usually have to prepare materials from the 5th lunar month. Bamboo sticks are carefully selected, then cut into strips to make frames, which is very time-consuming. Then comes the step of cutting paper.

According to the Hanoi craftswoman, Mid-Autumn toy making is different from other professions in that she only works hard for less than a month before the Mid-Autumn Festival. In order to provide enough for customers, she has to ask her husband and children for help. Each of them does one step: splitting bamboo, cutting paper, gluing paper, and so on.

Tuyen hopes that traditional toys can serve as a bridge between cultural traditions and children. Photo: Cong Phuong

In addition to making Mid-Autumn Toys for sale, Tuyen also teaches handicrafts to students from schools in Hanoi, either at her home or at the schools.

For this woman, making Mid-Autumn Toys is first of all to satisfy her passion for her work. In addition, these toys can be the bridge between cultural traditions and children in the Industry 4.0 era. If everyone quits the trade and children grow up knowing only modern toys, they will gradually forget the meaning of the five-pointed star lantern or the paper scholar in the moon-gazing feast tray, among other traditional toys.

"I am very happy that in recent years, local governments and schools have gradually paid more attention to traditional toys. The evidence is that schools and residential areas have ordered more and more lanterns."

In addition, there are also many places where cultural activities are held, displaying lanterns and traditional toys for visitors to admire. "This is the most practical way of education and the goal I strive for in my work," the artician shared.