(VOVworld) -   Patients at the Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics enjoyed a celebration of the mid-autumn festival that included colorful activities to ease the pain of illness. Children were given gift boxes containing milk, moon cakes, and lanterns. 1,600 patients were treated to a special program called “Bringing music to hospitals” featuring volunteer artists. All donations will go to the neediest children.

Singer Thai Thuy Linh performs voluntarily at the Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics. (Photo: VNA)

The southern province of Vinh Long on Tuesday allocated 5,700 USD to deliver moon cakes and lanterns and organize mid-autumn parties for 3,900 poor and ethnic children in remote areas in the spirit of creating equal development opportunity for all disadvantaged children. The Kon Tum provincial Fund for Child Protection took this occasion to host a full moon festival for particularly poor children.

Also on Tuesday, thousands of locals and tourists gathered at Nguyen Tat Thanh square in Phan Thiet city, Binh Thuan province, to watch a lantern procession. The event was recorded as the largest-ever mid-autumn lantern parade in Vietnam by Vietnam Guinness Book Centers (Vietbooks).

Children join the largest lantern parade in Vietnam. (Photo: hn.24h.com.vn)

3,000 students from 30 primary and high schools in the city participated in the parade, which is one of 5 traditional festivals to boost tourism and promote local trademarks to domestic and foreign visitors.