Full Moon at Toong: when workspace nurtures the soul

This city has learned to live by artificial light. Fluorescent towers. Glowing screens. Deadlines that never sleep. Everything bathed in a cold, relentless brightness. But when the full moon rises, something ancient stirs within us – a quiet pull to pause. The moonlight whispers what we’ve forgotten: beneath the spreadsheets and KPIs, we are still human. We still need stillness. We still need to remember.

Thu Quang Nhất Dạ: when heritage lives through hands

Mid-autumn, eighth lunar month. Something extraordinary unfolded at Toong.

In partnership with Mõ Project – a non-profit devoted to preserving Vietnamese culture – Toong brought heritage out from behind museum glass. “Thu Quang Nhất Dạ” (“Autumn Moon Night”) wasn’t an exhibition. It was an awakening.

Hands that spend their days on keyboards and trackpads were suddenly shaping tò he figurines, weaving coconut leaves into intricate patterns, braiding hair in the old ways. Fresh paint lingered in the air. Vibrant pigments stained fingertips. Laughter tangled with conversation. The workspace transformed into something else entirely – a sanctuary of memory, a playground of cultural rediscovery.

The artisans didn’t just teach technique. They shared stories – of origins, of devotion to craft, of the quiet, relentless work required to keep the Vietnamese soul alive in every stroke, every fold, every gesture.

One young founder left the workshop glowing:

“When I was little, craft class was everything to me. My hands have grown stiff since then, but today? I felt that same spark. Real creativity lives in moments like these – the ones we think are too small to matter.”

This is the philosophy breathing through Toong: creativity isn’t a deliverable. It’s a state of being. And that state is nurtured by culture, by art, by experiences that feel real and rooted.

The story written in storm

The story didn’t end with colorful workshops. It continued on a rain-lashed afternoon at Toong Phan Bội Châu in Hanoi.

That day, a pop-up tasting was scheduled with David Winegar, founder of Plantagusto – where traditional Italian cooking techniques meet plant-based innovation, replacing animal proteins with premium botanical ingredients.

The tasting explored a provocative question: “In 25 years, when animal protein becomes a luxury, how will we eat to stay healthy while honoring the planet?”

Then the storm arrived. Rain came down in sheets. Streets flooded. Traffic paralyzed. People stranded, unable to reach home.

Toong didn’t cancel. They adapted.

The team moved quickly, coordinating with Plantagusto to bring hot meals into the space where people had taken shelter. Outside, water rushed through streets. Inside, boxes of Mediterranean-scented food passed from hand to hand. What began as a pop-up tasting became something more profound – a communal meal, a moment of care when it mattered most. The sky outside was gray and heavy. But in Toong, warm light glowed like moonlight breaking through clouds.

Simple? Yes. But it revealed everything about what Toong is building – not just events, but community. Not transactions, but connections. Care that doesn’t need a CSR campaign or brand messaging to justify itself.

As one Toonger put it:

“A workspace matters when it helps people become more compassionate and creative every single day.”

Not a workspace. A living culture.

Toong doesn’t compete on design or amenities. They ask a different question entirely: “What makes people happier in their work?”

From the beginning, founder Duong Do envisioned Toong as more than real estate – as a space where culture, art, and humanity converge to build community. Every activity – pop-up mask painting, traditional feast celebrations, acoustic nights like “Chở Trăng” (“Cradle the Moon”), or “Thu Quang Nhất Dạ” – serves a deeper purpose. Not entertainment for its own sake, but connection. Nourishment for the soul.

Science backs this intuition. Harvard Health research (2023) shows that engaging with art reduces cortisol – the stress hormone – while boosting dopamine. The result? Better work performance. Greater happiness. A fuller sense of being alive.

This is what Toong has been cultivating for a decade – not just during full moon festivals, but every day. A space where people don’t merely work. They live. They feel. They become more whole.

One full moon at a time.