Hoi An Lantern Festival is a chance for tourists to admire the creativity of local artists and immerse in the mesmerizing ambiance of the rustic ancient town. Read this article to understand about this festival and arrange a trip to attend it.
Used to be one of the key trading port in Vietnam, Hoi An is now becoming a rustic and tranquil town where you can relish traditional architecture. Not only is Hoi An well-known for incredible sceneries and laid-back atmosphere, it is also famous for its most lovely souvenir – lanterns. When visiting Hoi An, you can come across many lantern stores which add the vibrant beauty to this city. Attending Hoi An Lantern Festival is a cannot-miss part of your trip to Vietnam. This is the only chance for you to admire local artistic creation and dazzling products made by our skillful artists in sublime surroundings.
Hoi An Lantern Festival is a monthly event to celebrate the full moon. It is held on the 14th day of each lunar month when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
In Buddhism, a full moon is one of the most sacred events because not only was the Buddha born at that time but he also attained enlightenment on a full moon. Nowadays, we celebrate the full moon as our time to reflect on our lives and worship our ancestors.
Lanterns are the focus of this event. Lanterns are beautifully lit and candles are placed at the bottom of the colorful paper lanterns which convey our wish for health and peace. They are placed to Hoai River as an offering to the God as well as our ancestors. Along the river bank, there are folk performances with music (bamboo flutes, drums, and fiddles) and poetry readings.
The festivities start at dusk and finish at around 8-9pm. The fun concentrates on Japanese Covered Bridge and Cau An Hoi Bridge. Electricity use is kept at a minimum level so that the lanterns can illuminate Hoi An and create the most romantic scene ever. Hoi An Lantern Festival is the ideal time for your family trip to Vietnam since there will be a lot of exciting activities here.
Releasing lantern on Hoai River is believed to bring fortune and love. If you want to place your own lantern on the water’s surface, the best way to do it is taking a sampan ride. Your lanterns will not be caught by a traffic jam and you can authentically enjoy Hoi An’s atmosphere on a sampan ride.
A sampan is a Vietnamese traditional canoe. Take your time to talk to local friendly ferrymen who will provide you with more knowledge about this ancient town.
Bai Choi is an interesting folk game of Central Vietnam which combines music, poetry, acting, painting and literature. Originated among peasants in Quang region, Bai Choi has a complex set of rules which involves card drawing and folk singing. Bai Choi songs are about daily life and work, which represent our patriotism and connectivity of the community. This game brings a lively and sparkling atmosphere to Hoi An Lantern Festival.
Cao lau is the must-try food in this dreamy city. This food is influenced by Japanese and Chinese cultures that were brought by foreign traders when they settled in Hoi An. You will see some unique feature in this dish compared to other food in Vietnam: the thick noodle is the same as Japanese udon, the rice crackers and porks are in Chinese style, and the broth is Vietnamese.
There are plenty of delicious cuisines at street food stalls here, for example, banh bao (steamed rice dumplings with pork and mushrooms), banh vac (steamed rice dumplings with ground shrimp and veggies), banh dap (rice crackers with steamed rice pancakes and anchovy sauce), banh xoai (mango cake) and xi ma (black sesame pudding).
Besides the miraculous water filled with lanterns, there are many places for your photo shoot here, such as Japanese Covered Bridge, Fujian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien), Cantonese Assembly Hall (Quang Trieu), and Old House of Tan Ky. These places look even more fantastic under the illuminating space of colorful lanterns.
A full moon is a time for the locals to honor their ancestors by offering fruits, flowers and incense to them. Temples and pagodas in Hoi An are strongly influenced by the Chinese. A single ticket which costs VND 120,000 dong will allow you to visit all houses, temples, and museums here. In Hoi An Lantern Festival, you will see the local tourists gather at Quan Cong Pagodas or other assembly halls to Hoi An to wish for luck and happiness.
Customize your Vietnam tour to enjoy monthly Hoi An Lantern Festival!
2024 Hoian Lantern festival dates:
1st month full-moon | 23th February 2024 |
2nd month full-moon | 23th March 2024 |
3rd month full-moon | 22th April 2024 |
4th month full-moon | 21th May 2024 |
5th month full-moon | 19th June 2024 |
6th month full-moon | 19th July 2024 |
7th month full-moon | 17th August 2024 |
8th month full-moon | 16th September 2024 |
9th month full-moon | 16th October 2024 |
10th month full-moon | 14th November 2024 |
11th month full-moon | 14th December 2024 |
12th month full-moon | 13th January 2025 |
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This post was last modified on January 2, 2024 2:24 am
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Hi!
My name is Kang Seong ha, Korean.
I want to use the photo 'Dazzling lanterns in Hoi An' in your website for my presentation.
Can it be possible?
Thank you.
Dear Kang Seong Ha,
Thank you for your comment. You can use the photo "Dazzling laterns in Hoi An" for your presentation but with one condition: you have to note the source of the photo coming from Paradise Travel.
Good luck in your presentation!
Regards,
Chiara
Hello, I want to visit Hoi An and attend Hoi An Lantern festival this October? Could you please help?
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Thank you for your comment. You can take a look at our Central Vietnam tour packages: https://www.vietnamparadisetravel.com/central-vietnam-tours.
Our sales department will contact you shortly for further information about the number of people, accommodation, transportation and so on.
Regards,
Chi NGUYEN