Hoi An Lantern Festival – The Ancient Town’s Most Stunning Event

Your trip to Hoi An will not be completed if missing the most stunning festival – Hoi An Lantern Festival. If you are wondering when this incredible Hoi An event is celebrated and what to explore here, let’s take a look at our article! Sun Getaways Travel will provide you with all useful information about the Hoi An Lantern Festival.

Hoi An Lantern Festival Introduction

Used to be a trading port in the past, Hoi An can be considered the salad bowl integrating different cultural aspects like France, China, etc. Moreover, Chinese culture affects Hoi An the most which can be realized just by a glance at its house architecture and vibrant lantern lanes.

At first, Chinese people migrated to Hoi An and they often hung colorful lanterns in front of the entrance door to show their homesickness to the motherland. Moreover, Chinese and Japanese traders also liked to hang lanterns in front of their houses when moving to Hoi An, Vietnam for trading activities.

After that, these activities were supported by Vietnamese and locals. However, until 1988, the Hoi An Full Moon Festival was officially held and considered one of the biggest festivals in the town. Moreover, this is also a unique point to attract tourists visiting Hoi An Ancient Town.

Read more: Da Nang Marble Mountains, Da Nang beaches and Golden Bridge Da Nang

Lantern Festival Meanings

Hoi An Lantern Festival – or Hoi An Full Moon Festival, is held to preserve the beauty and peaceful vibe in the town. Moreover, the vibrant lanterns also represent luck and safety. People often drop water lanterns on the Hoai River to wish for health, fortune, and happiness in life.

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When to Join the Hoi An Lantern Festival?

When is the Hoi An Lantern Festival held? Tourists can immerse in the bustling atmosphere of the Vietnam Hoi An Lantern Festival on the 14th day of the lunar month from 18:00 to 22:00. This is the time when the moon becomes the fullest and brightest status in the year. People often check in at the location very early near Hoi An Full Moon Festival locations on the Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoai River, and Hoi Bridge.

What to Notice Before Experiencing the Festival?

The most interesting part of the Hoi An Lantern Festival is that people will dip themselves in the dark first before lighting the lanterns. All restaurants, coffee shops, as well as food stalls, will turn off the electric lights and wait for the most colorful moments in the town. Moreover, all means of transportation will stop commuting between 5 pm and 10 pm.

If you plan to visit the Hoi An Lantern Festival, you can glimpse the colorful beauty of lanterns. You also have a chance to take part in traditional activities like folk games or immerse yourself in the bustling atmosphere, and artistic music or poetry recitals.

What to Explore in Hoi An Lantern Festival?

Hence, what can we discover when joining the Hoi An Lantern Festival? There are several amazing things for you to experience one of the most amazing Hoi An events.

Immerse yourself in the colorful lanterns

First of all, we hardly escape from the vibrant beauty of thousands of lanterns in the ancient town. On the road, you will be surprised due to the unreal images appearing under the bright moonlight of the 14th lunar month. Everything brings you a peaceful vibe. It is very suitable for couples to go on a date. 

Try dropping water lanterns

Second, another must-try activity for couples is to drop the stunning flower lanterns on the Hoai River. This is considered the most romantic activity for anyone, especially for couples. You can write down your wish on the flower lantern and drop it to follow the river’s water flow. The Hoai River will bring your love, wishes, and desires to go as far as possible and make it come true.

Furthermore, tourists can easily find flower lanterns on the way to discover Hoi An. Each follower lantern only costs 5,000 VND in different colors and shapes. Hence, anyone can join the festival and send their messages through the flower lanterns and Hoai River.

Watch interesting traditional activities

Next, the Lantern Festival Hoi An leads to plenty of attractive traditional games and interesting activities for tourists to see and join. For example, you will see a lot of locals playing battle games like board games or card drawing games. Or there are many artists showing folk performances, and live music. You can enjoy the music and learn more about the traditional artistic formats of Vietnam.

Especially, tourists will have a chance to experience Bai choi – a famous traditional performance in Hoi An. This is a type of art performance including music, poetry, and acting. Moreover, Bai Coi was listed as an intangible heritage in 2017 by UNESCO.

Taste Hoi An delicacies

Finally, do not miss the chance to try the delicacies in Hoi An! There are several delectable dishes for you to try. For example, Quang noodles are a must-try food when traveling to Hoi An. Besides, Cao Lau and fish sausage are also famous for people to eat and feel the flavors.

Or you can try the most delicious street food in the world – Banh Mi in Hoi An. We highly recommend you to try “Banh Mi Madam Khánh”. This is a very famous spot to try Banh Mi in Hoi An. In general, we ensure all dishes can meet your appetite.

Travel Tips to Hoi An Lantern Festival

Here is the list of travel tips for you when making a trip to discover Hoi An Lantern Festival:

• Hoi An Full Moon Festival always attracts a large number of tourists visiting. Hence, it will be better for you to go early and find the best place to admire the view.
• Hoi An nightlife is quite light for you to discover. However, it is not shiny enough to check-in. If you can, remember to bring light modifiers for beautiful photos.
• You have to walk a lot on the street. Hence, you should wear sandals or sports shoes to move and walk easily.
• Moreover, be careful with pickpockets! Do not bring valuables items following you if you do not want to lose them unexpectedly!

Conclusion

In conclusion, Hoi An Ancient Town truly has a mysterious and romantic vibe at the same time during the lantern festival. Moreover, we cannot deny the big scale of the Hoi An Lantern Festival and how beautiful it is for tourists to enjoy. The festival truly shows all the town’s hidden beauty.

Sun Getaways Travel already shared you with all the details about the Hoi An Full Moon Festival. We hope that you will experience the best Hoi An tour and own as many unforgettable memories as possible when joining the Hoi An Lantern Festival.