Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025 – Latest Updated

Introduction

Hoi An Lantern Festival, also known as Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Festival, is a special event characterized by typical colorful lanterns hanging here and there in Hoi An Ancient Town. Annually, many visitors flock to this old town to admire its glorious but idyllic beauty during this event.

Vietnam Limousine will give to-be travelers better ideas about this unique occasion through the blog Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025.

Hoi An Lantern Festival - Vietnam Limousine

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Dates Of Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025

The Lantern Festival Vietnam in Hoi An takes place on the 14th of every lunar calendar month, when the moon appears fully in the sky. And the most striking one is in mid-autumn (15th in the eighth lunar month). The festival starts between 18:00 and 22:00, when the night falls and the lanterns show their best brilliance.

As the lunar calendar may not be familiar to you, we collected the Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025 dates following the solar calendar in the below table:

Year Hoi An Lantern Festival Dates Time
2025 January 13th, February 11th, March 13th, April 11th, May 11th, June 9th, July 8th, August 7th, September 5th, October 5th (Mid-Autumn), November 3rd, and December 3rd 18:00 – 22:00

Hoi An Lantern Festival History

The Full Moon Lantern Festival Hoi An Vietnam first took place in 1988, with the authority’s aim to retain and promote the long-standing Hoi An feature of lanterns. In fact, the typical lanterns came to Hoi An at its peak as a trade harbor during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Hoi An Ancient Town - Vietnam Limousine

As a busy harbor town, Hoi An attracted a slew of merchants from many countries, especially Chinese. They established their business, settled down, and brought to this town lanterns, a part of their culture. They believed hanging lanterns in front of their houses would manifest good fortune and peace.

Gradually, native people integrated this custom into their daily lives and turned it into one of Hoi An’s representative features. The monthly festival is held to celebrate the gentle beauty and time-honored history of Hoi An Ancient Town.

Lantern Festival Vietnam - Vietnam Limousine

Hoi An Lantern Festival FAQs

To make your time in Hoi An more fulfilling, we will give you a useful Hoi An Lantern Festival travel guide by answering some common questions among visitors.

Where Does The Hoi An Lantern Festival Take Place?

The Sky Lantern Festival Vietnam is held in Hoi An Ancient Town, along its riverside main roads such as Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Phan Chau Trinh, Tran Hung Dao, Tran Phu, Le Loi, etc. During the festival, they will ban all vehicles from these roads and light up myriad lanterns throughout the town.

What Time Is The Lantern Festival In Hoi An?

It will take place from 18:00-22:00 on the 14th of every lunar month.

Where Is The Best Place To See Lanterns In Hoi An?

The best place to see lanterns in Hoi An should be Lantern Street, or Nguyen Phuc Chu Street, where Hoi An’s traditional lantern guild is located. Starting from the town’s north part, you walk along the riverside Bach Dang Street, across An Hoi Bridge, and finally reach Nguyen Phuc Chu Street in the south part of the town.

What To Do In Hoi An Lantern Festival?

Admire streets full of colorful lanterns: All home lights and vehicles will be stopped. Only the myriad colorful lanterns hanging above are lit, creating a miracle scene for visitors walking under.

Sky Lantern Festival Vietnam - Vietnam Limousine

Watch traditional art performances: You can stroll somewhere near the Japanese Bridge and Hoi An Bridge to see intriguing local art. Talented artists will show you vibrant traditional dances, music, lion dances, and martial arts.

Traditional art performance on Hoai River during the festival - Vietnam Limousine
Traditional art performance on Hoai River during the festival – Vietnam Limousine

Drop floating lanterns on Hoai River: You can buy a floating lantern made by the locals to drop in the poetic Hoai River as a way to pray for the best. Each lantern costs only 5,000 to 10,000 VND.

Hoi An Vietnam Lantern Festival - Vietnam Limousine

Enjoy local street food: Along the streets are small vendors selling good local dishes at fair prices. You can drop by one of them to taste some Hoi An flavors when tired of walking. We recommend Cao Lau noodles, Quang noodles, and Mot’s herbal drinks.

Cao Lau noodles - Vietnam Limousine
Cao Lau noodles – Vietnam Limousine

Make crafts during the Tet Holiday: If you join the lantern festival during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (usually during January or February), you can join lantern and firework decorating.

Try traditional activities during the Mid-Autumn: On Mid-Autumn, the festival will be added more activities, such as arranging an offering tray, tug of war, bài chòi (a traditional card game in Hoi An), etc.

Travel Tips

  • Hoi An Lantern Festival will be the best during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn. You should plan to go on these occasions to admire its worthiest festival vibes.
  • Despite numerous lanterns, it’s not bright enough for clear pictures. So if you want to take the best photos, you should prepare a flash or other light-supporting device.
  • Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended, as you will walk a lot in the meantime.
  • You can buy a lantern anywhere in the town for 15,000-150,000 VND (0.6-6 USD). The price ranges depending on sizes, materials, shapes, etc.
  • If you want to see and drop the floating lanterns by the Hoai River, you should arrive early to choose a vantage point, as a large number of tourists will flock there soon.
Visitors dropping lanterns on Hoai River - Vietnam Limousine
Visitors dropping lanterns on Hoai River – Vietnam Limousine

Conclusion

The Hoi An Lantern Festival is a meaningful event to celebrate the town’s unique features and long-established history. It shows the good will to preserve and promote traditional customs in Hoi An and Vietnam amidst the present busy age. It’s also a chance for domestic and foreign tourists to admire Hoi An in all its glory.

Vietnam Limousine hopes that our travel blog Hoi An Lantern Festival 2025 has given you better insight and helpful advice on this special festival. We wish you the greatest time in Hoi An and Vietnam. Thanks for reading.