Mooncake Festival Rush: Early Celebrations Leave Tuyen Quang Hotels Fully Booked.

The city of Tuyen Quang, in the province of the same name, is renowned for hosting the largest Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam. This annual event features a spectacular lantern parade with unique and creative lantern models. In recent years, Tuyen Quang has experienced a surge in visitors during the Mid-Autumn Festival, all flocking to witness the impressive giant lanterns on display. As a result, the demand for accommodation skyrockets, often leading to a “sold-out” situation well in advance.

This year is no exception. Despite being over a month away, many hotels and guesthouses in Tuyen Quang city are already fully booked for the festival period, including weekends in September. A staff member from Muong Thanh Tuyen Quang Hotel confirmed that all rooms for the upcoming weekends in September, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, have been reserved. Room rates, which typically start at VND 1.5 million per night, increase to VND 1.8 million for Fridays and Saturdays.

“Guests are required to pay the full amount upon booking confirmation, and cancellations or refunds are not permitted,” the staff member added. Currently, the city of Tuyen Quang comes alive each evening with lantern processions, attracting a large influx of tourists. This has further reduced the availability of rooms, even on weekdays.

Ngo Van Vuong, owner of a 15-room guesthouse in Tuyen Quang, shared that all his rooms, normally priced at VND 400,000 per night, have been reserved for the festival. “This year, we’ve received an overwhelming number of early bookings, and almost all accommodation options in the area are fully booked. It seems that people have learned from previous years’ experiences and are booking much earlier,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ma Thi Tuyet is preparing her son’s vacant house to rent out during the festival. With her son away, she saw an opportunity to earn extra income by offering the house to visitors. “The house can be divided into five rooms, and I plan to charge around VND 300,000 to VND 400,000 per night per room. I estimate that we can earn about VND 1.5 million per day, totaling VND 15 million for the ten days around the festival,” Tuyet happily predicted.

Social media platforms dedicated to Tuyen Quang tourism are buzzing with posts from travelers seeking accommodation for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Many express concerns about the limited availability and emphasize the importance of booking early to avoid disappointment. “My family of over ten people plans to visit Tuyen Quang for the festival, and we want to stay together in one hotel. I started looking for options now, but even at this early stage, finding a hotel with multiple vacant rooms is challenging,” wrote Tạ Tú Thành.

Thu Hong from Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, shared her experience from last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival in Tuyen Quang: “My family of four, including two young children, went to Tuyen Quang for the lantern festival. We initially thought we’d only stay for one night and didn’t bother booking in advance. However, to our surprise, every single hotel was fully booked. We had no choice but to return to Hanoi immediately after the lantern procession at 10 pm, and we only got home at 1 am, exhausted. So, my advice to anyone planning to visit Tuyen Quang for the Mid-Autumn Festival is to book your accommodation in advance to avoid a similar situation,” Hong cautioned.