Paper lanterns are made from bamboo laths covered with paper. These lanterns are extremely diverse in sizes, colors and shapes which range from vegetables (squash, gourd) to animals (rabbit, shrimp, crab, fish, butterfly).
Toys like star lanterns, monks, vessels and animals are made of cellophane adhered to entire bamboo frames by glue and decorated by a brush on water color. In the past, lanterns used to be made by various artisans in the Old Quarter in central Hanoi. Now, the craft is practiced by only some families in the villages of Hạ Thái (in Duyên Thái, Thường Tín, Hà Nội) and Báo Đáp (in Hồng Quang, Nam Trực, Nam Định).
Apart from meticulous lanterns made manually by the skillful hands of the artisans in the craft villages, kids are also taught by their parents and grandparents to make use of readily available materials like tin cans, pomelo skin and peels, etc. to produce unique lanterns for themselves. Although these ‘makeshift’ lanterns are simply made, their light still bringschildren a lot of joy.
The Vietnamese people have always held learning in very high regard, and the image of a successful doctoral candidate returning home in glory has become steeped in their mind. As they wish for their children and grand-children to do well and succeed academically, many would buy paper doctors as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts and put them at the most important place of the partyingplatform. To date, artisan Nguyễn Thị Tuyến in Hậu Ái Village (Vân Canh Commune, Hoài Đức District, Hà Nội) is the only remaining producer of paper doctors.