Hoi An Lantern Festival is a unique cultural symbol associated with the sparkling image of colorful lanterns, attracting thousands of tourists to Hoi An every year. But do you know, hidden behind that brilliant beauty are interesting cultural stories and profound meanings, waiting for you to discover in the Hoi An Lantern Festival. In this article, we will help you learn about the special things about the Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025!
Introduction to Hoi An Lantern Festival
Origin of the festival
The Hoi An Lantern Festival originated in the 16th-17th centuries, when Hoi An was a bustling, large trading port, attracting many merchants from all over the world, especially the Chinese and Japanese, to trade and settle. They brought with them traditional cultural features of hanging lanterns in front of their houses to pray for luck and peace. According to legend, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, gods from heaven descended to earth to bless the people. To welcome them, people hung lanterns everywhere to create a shimmering, magical atmosphere. Gradually, local people also learned and developed this custom, turning lanterns into an indispensable part of the cultural and spiritual life of Hoi An ancient town.
Hoi An Lantern Festival is the most iconic festival in the region
In 1988, the local government decided to organize the Hoi An Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, on the full moon nights of the lunar calendar every month to preserve and promote this unique cultural feature. The festival quickly became a unique cultural event, attracting domestic and foreign tourists, contributing to honoring the traditional beauty and community spirit of Hoi An people to this day.
Places of the festival
The Hoi An Lantern Festival takes place at many famous locations in the old town, creating a brilliant and cultural atmosphere. Here are some highlights you should not miss.
Every corner in the ancient town is decorated with colorful lanterns
Hoi An Ancient Town: During the festival, the entire Hoi An Ancient Town area becomes brilliant with thousands of colorful lanterns hanging along the streets, in front of houses and shops. People will limit the use of electric lights, replacing them with warm light from lanterns, creating an ancient and romantic space. Visitors can stroll on streets such as Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, and Bach Dang to admire the sparkling beauty of the old town in the lantern light.
A cultural performance held in front of the Japanese Covered Bridge
Temples in Hoi An: Temples in Hoi An also play an important role in the lantern festival. The Japanese Covered Bridge, a symbol of Hoi An, is decorated with sophisticated lanterns, creating a mysterious and brilliant beauty. Ong Pagoda, Ba Mu Pagoda and famous assembly halls such as Fujian and Chaozhou also participate in lantern decoration, contributing to enriching the festival space. The combination of lantern lights and the ancient architecture of the temples creates a unique cultural picture, attracting tourists to visit and admire.
The magical Hoai river at the festival
Hoai River: Hoai River, a branch of Thu Bon River, is considered the heart of Hoi An lantern festival. On festival nights, hundreds of small boats carry tourists to release flower lanterns into the river, creating a magical scene with shimmering light reflecting on the water surface. The activity of releasing flower lanterns in Hoi An not only has the meaning of praying for luck and peace but is also an unforgettable experience for every tourist when coming to Hoi An.
Significance of the festival
Not just a simple decoration, lanterns also have many profound spiritual meanings for the people of Hoi An. In Vietnamese culture and beliefs, lanterns symbolize light to guide the way, ward off evil spirits, and bring luck and happiness to everyone. Especially on the mid-autumn night, lanterns are even more meaningful when they connect families and friends in a warm, cozy and joyful atmosphere. The image of children lighting lanterns and bustling to carry lanterns under the full moon has become a cultural beauty passed down through many generations, contributing to the soul of the festival.
The lantern festival at mid-autumn night is the biggest of the year
Hoi An Lantern Festival is a beautiful feature of the spiritual culture of the people of the ancient town, particularly the Vietnamese people. It is not only a special event but also a way for local people to preserve and honor the beauty of long-standing traditional culture. The activity of releasing lanterns is considered to bring health and fortune to everyone. When the lanterns are released, it means lighting up the hope for a lucky and peaceful future for family and loved ones. This is the festival in Hoi An that most tourists look forward to.
Time of Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025
The Hoi An Lantern Festival is held on the 14th day of the lunar month every month and the Mid-Autumn Festival is always the most beautiful and sparkling festival night of the year. On these days, from 6 pm to 10 pm, Hoi An ancient town will turn off all the lights at night and prohibit traffic. People hang lanterns in front of their houses, release flower lanterns on the Hoai River, and participate in cultural and artistic activities such as lion dances, martial arts performances, and Bai Choi singing.
In particular, during Tet and Mid-autumn in Hoi An, the festival is held on a larger scale, with lantern decoration competitions and special fireworks displays, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Below is the schedule of the Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025 for your reference for your trip:
Hoi An Lantern Festival Schedule 2025
Best things to do when participating in Hoi An Lantern Festival
Admire the poetic space of the festival night
A peaceful evening scene during the Hoi An Lantern Festival
Hoi An Lantern Festival brings a poetic space, where the light from thousands of colorful lanterns brightens up the entire ancient town. The ancient streets become sparkling and magical under the brilliant lantern light. Visitors can wander through the narrow streets of the ancient town, admire the lanterns hanging high in front of the porch, enjoy the peaceful but colorful space.
Don’t miss the opportunity to capture great photos. Under the shimmering lights, every corner of the ancient town becomes mysterious, an ideal place for those who love taking photos, capturing beautiful moments of Hoi An. Some popular photo spots you can refer to are Nguyen Phuc Chu street, Japanese Covered Bridge, the area along the Hoai River, ….
> > > Want to experience Hoi An like a local? These Hoi An tours will take you off the beaten path and into the heart of Vietnamese tradition.
Release flower lanterns for good luck on Hoai River
The magical glow of floating lanterns on the Hoai River at night
This is the most popular activity among tourists during the festival. Locals and tourists gather on the banks of the Hoai River to release sparkling flower lanterns into the water. Each flower lantern, handmade from paper and candles, carries wishes for health, happiness and luck.
To participate in floating flower lanterns, visitors can buy lanterns from riverside stalls for about 5,000 VND/lantern. In addition, the experience of sitting on a boat on the Hoai River to release lanterns and admire the ancient town at night is also very popular, with boat rental prices ranging from 90,000 VND to 120,000 VND/boat. You will hear interesting stories from the boatman and admire the ancient beauty of Hoi An from the river. The feeling of relaxation and tranquility amidst the bright candlelight is an unforgettable experience.
Discover traditional lantern making
Experience Hoi An’s heritage through hands-on lantern workshops
The lantern-making profession in Hoi An has existed for hundreds of years, witnessed many ups and downs of history, and has become an indispensable part of the cultural life of Hoi An people. Join lantern-making classes at traditional craft villages. Visitors will learn about the process, be directly guided by skilled artisans to make their own lanterns with their own personal stamp and understand more about the cultural value of this craft.
Below are some famous places selling Hoi An lanterns that you can refer to:
- Hoi An Thanh Truc Lantern Workshop: DX18 Street, Thanh Nhut Village, Cam Thanh
- Huynh Van Ba Lantern Workshop: No. 15A Phan Dinh Phung, Hoi An
- Ha Linh Lantern Workshop: No. 72 Tran Nhan Tong, Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An
- Viet Lantern Workshop: No. 57 Ba Trieu Street, Minh An Ward, Hoi An
Folk games and art performances
Joyful moments from the folk games and cultural shows during the festival
In this festival, you will be able to participate in many interesting activities completely free of charge and the most bustling area is the riverside section between the Japanese Covered Bridge and Hoi An Bridge. The night atmosphere is extremely exciting with dances mixed with traditional music, lion and dragon performances, martial arts by members of professional martial arts schools and skilled artists.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy many unique traditional performing arts. One of the outstanding activities is Bai Choi singing, a folk art form combining music, poetry and acting, a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. Bai Choi performances often take place along the streets, attracting the enthusiastic participation of both locals and tourists. In addition, visitors can also participate in folk games such as tug of war and chess, creating a vibrant and cohesive atmosphere during the festival.
Explore Hoi An night market
You can stroll around the night market to buy souvenirs or enjoy food at the riverside stalls
Exploring Hoi An night market is an experience not to be missed when participating in the lantern festival. The most prominent is Nguyen Hoang night market, opposite Cau Pagoda, with a length of about 500 meters and more than 50 diverse stalls. Here, visitors can find many exquisite handicraft products such as brocade bags, figurines, bracelets, clothes, handbags and pottery, most of which are handmade with traditional motifs such as conical hats and ao dai.
In addition to shopping, Hoi An night market is also a culinary paradise with many delicious specialties that are still simple and traditional. Visitors can enjoy Quang noodles, mussels with rice paper, Cao Lau, Banh Nam or sip a glass of Hoi An water. Prices at the night market are quite reasonable, usually ranging from 40,000 to 100,000 VND for each product or dish.
> > > While the lanterns light up Hoi An by night, there’s no better way to soak in its charming countryside and local life than by hopping on a cycling tour and exploring during the day.
Some useful tips when participating
To have a complete and meaningful experience at the Hoi An Lantern Festival, visitors should note the following:
- The festival takes place on the full moon night of every month, but the most special is on the Mid-Autumn Festival night of the eighth lunar month. The festival starts from 6 pm to 10 pm, so you should arrive early so as not to miss the moment when the old town lights up and have enough time to participate in interesting activities.
- Choose comfortable, polite clothes that are suitable for the festival atmosphere. Because the festival does not allow vehicles to circulate, remember to wear comfortable shoes or sandals to easily move around the old streets.
- To have a complete experience, choose dry, rain-free days to participate in the festival, allowing you to move comfortably and enjoy the outdoor space.
- Do not litter, keep the general hygiene to protect the environment and landscape of the old town. Do not touch or climb on relics and architectural works to avoid damaging cultural values.
- When releasing the lantern, you need to be careful so that the flame does not catch on clothes or flammable objects, ensuring safety for yourself and those around you.
Hoi An Lantern Festival is not only a unique cultural event but also has a profound spiritual meaning, an opportunity for you to immerse yourself in the magical space of the ancient town and send your best wishes. This will definitely be an extremely memorable experience for you, your family and friends when coming to Hoi An ancient town. Contact us today to make a plan to join this festival right away!
Read more:
