Lantern is a traditional handicraft product, a popular decorative object, and one of the iconic images of Hoi An Old Town. It’s first introduced by Chinese people after they moved to the town and became popular then. Every full moon night, a lantern festival takes place and Hoi An will be lit up by thousands of lanterns, making it so beautiful. Today, visitors can see/photograph lanterns everywhere. The city is known as the ‘city of lanterns’ by that. Now, let’s HoiAn Day Trip Company provide all the information that you need to know about lanterns in Hoi An.
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• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
History of Hoi An Lanterns
The first lantern in Hoi An was introduced by Chinese people who migrated from provinces in southern China some hundred years ago. They came from Fujian, Canton, Hainan Island, and Teochew. In China, lanterns were firstly mentioned in literature around the 6th century.
According to local inhabitants in Hoi An, ‘lantern ancestor’ was Xa Duong who specialized in making lion/dragon heads (for lion/dragon dances) or lamps at competitions or fairs. Later, he invented lanterns which have a bamboo frame and silk covering, and then taught others. Nowadays, there are about 200 lantern making workshops in Hoi An. Most of them are run by local families in which skills and knowledge are passed down from father or mother to childrens. They produce lanterns for locals and tourists, domestic and international markets.
In 1999, the Hoi An Ancient Town became a Unesco world heritage site. Since then, this place has been visited by lots of tourists all over the world. Many of them come from countries far from Vietnam such as European or American countries. They like buying colorful and lovely lanterns for souvenirs and bringing them home. However, traditional lanterns in Hoi An at that time were too hard to pack or pack smoothly. Those who travel by airplane feel that it’s inconvenient. To improve, a local artisan named Huynh Van Ba (man) tried to design a foldable lantern and he spent 5-6 months making it happen. After that, he taught other people to do it.
Mr Huynh Van Ba is the first and only lantern making artisan honoured by the Vietnamese government as ‘Merited Artisan’ (nghe nhan uu tu) due to his experiences and contributions.
On 9th January 2009, ‘Smile House’ where disabled persons and orphanages learnt how to make foldable lanterns from Huynh Van Ba artisan, was established at Hoi An Confucius Temple. In 2022, Huynh Van Ba family members spent a week making over 1,000 lanterns as requested by Da Nang city. All of them would be used to decorate the Da Nang International Airport to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar new year festival.
In 2023, Hoi An became a Unesco creative city, in the category of ‘crafts and folk arts’. Local long-standing lantern making is one of the reasons.
Types & Meaning of Hoi An’s Lanterns
In Hoi An, there are 9 traditional shapes of lanterns and each one has its own significance. Here they are:
- circle lantern: symbolizing fullness, reunion
- octagonal lantern:
- hexagonal lantern:
- ‘pumpkin’ lantern:
- ‘garlic’ lantern:
- cylinder lantern:
- ‘papaya’ lantern:
- pyramid lantern:
- ‘umbrella’ lantern:
During the Mid-autumn festival in Hoi An, the star lantern (Vietnamese: den ong sao) is popularly seen and becomes one of typical images. It has a bamboo frame, thin and red plastic covering, and is lit by candle (or electric lamp). Parents will buy their kids this type of lantern as a gift in this traditional ‘children festival’. See more information & details
In old heritage buildings in Hoi An, such as Chinese assembly halls or old houses, visitors can see big paper lanterns, pomegranate-shaped lantern, love-shaped lantern, or zouma deng (den keo quan), a lantern with carousel of paper horses, rotating under convection.
On the other hand, lanterns with different colors will have different meanings also. In Hoi An, bright colors are used much more than dark colors for lanterns. Here are meanings of each basic color:
– red: good fortune, joy, celebration, success, vitality (luckiest color)
– yellow: hope, prosperity, loyalty
– green: wealth, generation, harmony, fertility
– blue: trust, immortality, advancement
– purple: immortality, divine being, nobility,
– white: brightness, purity, fulfillment
– orange: good fortune, harvest, warmth, vitality
– pink: good luck, joy, love, happiness
Where to See Lanterns in Hoi An?
Lanterns are everywhere in and around the Hoi An Old Town, a Unesco world heritage site. Pedestrian streets in this area have most lanterns because of a high concentration of shops, restaurants and other businesses. There are Tran Phu St, Nguyen Thai Hoc St, Bach Dang St, Phan Chu Trinh St, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Cong Nu Ngoc Hoa St, Hoang Van Thu St, Le Loi St, Hai Ba Trung St.
In the entrance of the Hoi An Night Market on Nguyen Hoang St, there are some lantern shops. Visitors can go to them to see and photograph with a perfect backdrop featuring such colorful and lightful lamps. The fee is 10,000-20,000 VND/person/time/5 mins.
Along two riverside roads Bach Dang St and Nguyen Phuc Chu St, visitors will see many vendors selling paper lanterns (lit by candle) and lanterns floating on the river.
Hoi An Lantern Festival on Full Moon Night
On every full moon night (14th day in Vietnamese/Chinese lunar calendar), Hoi An Lantern Festival takes place in the Hoi An Ancient Town. It originates from the tradition in which local people hang up red lanterns to bring good fortune in this holy time. During the day, they also pay homage to ancestors and prepare offspring (flowers, fruits, vegetarian foods, candles, incense,…) to worship. By the river, they release paper lanterns, to make wishes for beloved persons. After the town became a Unesco world heritage site in 1999, folk games and performances were added into the festival (such as Bai Choi bingo game, breaking pots game, calligraphy, folk songs), making it a totally well-worth cultural experience. See more information & details
Hoi An Lantern Festival is believed to be the best time to visit Hoi An. During it, the town is decorated with thousands of lanterns that are different in color, shape and size, bringing an overwhelmed scene and magical atmosphere.
Steps to Make a Lantern in Hoi An
To make a traditional lantern, local people will use bamboo sticks to make lantern’s frame and curve them to have a particular shape. After that, four pieces of fabric or silk are needed to fully cover small- or medium-sized lanterns. Large lanterns require more. Glue is used to stick these fabric pieces on the frame, and then people cut off excess fabric to have a neater look. If choose white-colored fabric, it’s possible to use brush and colors, to create patterns on the surface of the lantern, to have something more personal. Those who want to make one lantern from scratch (frame making step) can easily find a worship to learn. For more information & details, browse https://hoiandaytrip.com/lantern-making-class-hoi-an.
Where to Buy Lanterns in Hoi An?
In Hoi An, visitors can go to these places to buy lanterns:
– The Hoi An Ancient Town: this area has many stores selling lanterns, so visitors just need to walk along its streets and go shopping. Because of various options, we recommend seeing a couple of places and asking the price before making the final decision. Bargaining is okay if sellers don’t put the price on lanterns or put a price sign. They will give a cheaper price if buyers get many things from their shop. If want to take pictures, it’s needed to buy something for local owners or give them money if requested.
– The Hoi An Night Market: this is a night market near the Hoi An Ancient Town, with more than 150 stalls and vendors selling street foods and souvenirs. Around its entrance, at the intersection of Nguyen Hoang St and Nguyen Phuc Chu St, visitors can see a couple of lantern shops. There, lanterns are diverse in size, shape, color, and pattern. See more information & details
– the night market near Hoi An Central Market: this night market has dozens of stalls along Bach Dang St and Tran Quy Cap St. Here, a variety of souvenirs are sold, including local traditional lanterns.
For us, the best places to buy lanterns in Hoi An are the Hoi An Ancient Town and Hoi An Night Market. In fact that there shops providing similar qualities, so visitors should not too stress about the best place to go and get some lanterns to bring home.
To ship Hoi An lanterns to home, visitors can go to the Hoi An Post Office (6 Tran Hung Dao St) or the branch of Hoi An Post Office in Ba Le Well’s alley (at 47/8 Tran Hung Dao St). About the price and other details, please ask the staff directly.
Price of Hoi An Lanterns
The price of Hoi An lanterns depends on the size and the place visitors buy. A small lantern may cost from 30,000 to 60,000 VND and bigger ones will be more expensive. It’s possible to bargain in places where lanterns have no price tag. Usually, if buy some lanterns, local sellers may give a discount.
How to Open, Close and Hang Hoi An Foldable Lantern
Lanterns in Hoi An are foldable. Meaning that visitors can fold it (or ‘close’ it) to pack and unfold (or ‘open’) it again whenever needed.
To close Hoi An lantern, it’s needed to lightly press the upper ring inwards until it becomes smaller. After that, put it into a bag to protect it.
To open a Hoi An lantern, it’s needed to place the closing lantern upwards. After that, push the upper ring downwards until the hooks are popping up from the ring. Next, place them firmly in the slot, to make the upper ring stable. Don’t forget to look around to ensure that the shape of the lantern is not distorted.
To hang up Hoi An lantern, visitors just need to tie its rifting ring with a string. The best place is above the main door of the house, to bring good fortune to the family. To see it in the evening, please put a small electric lamp into it.
Hoi An Paper Lantern & Lantern Boat Ride on the River
In the Hoi An Ancient Town, visitors can go on a sampan boat ride along the Hoai River, to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the town at night. Furthermore, visitors also love lighting up paper lanterns by candle, and then releasing them to make wishes and take pictures/make videos. This experience is absolutely laid-back, romantic, and good value for money. To buy tickets, it’s needed to walk to ticket offices along the riverfront. See more information & details
Paper lanterns in Hoi An are cut into the shape of lotus, a holy flower in Buddhism and Vietnamese traditional culture. Their price is about 10,000 VND each, and will be cheaper if buy many. Visitors can buy at vendors along the river or at night markets.
Besides sparkling lanterns in old quarters, floating lanterns on the river also make visitors fall in love with Hoi An.
Q&A about Hoi An’s Lanterns
– Does Hoi An have lanterns every night? Answer: Yes, visitors can see lanterns in Hoi An Ancient Town every night. In the Lantern full moon festival, differences to common nights are crowds, folk games and performances, and not so much electric lights used.
– Why does Hoi An have lanterns? Answer: Lanterns traveled with Chinese people to Hoi An some hundreds years ago.
– Why are there so many lanterns in Hoi An? Answer: Lanterns are hung up to bring good things to the family and to decorate their houses/shops/restaurants. With many beautiful lanterns, places can attract more visitors or customers.
Itinerary to Visit Hoi An Old Town for First Timer
First of all, to enter and visit the Hoi An Old Town (the part inscribed by Unesco), visitors need to buy an entry ticket. Its price is 120,000 VND per adult and children above 15 years old and free of charge for smaller kids. Entry to 5 attractions is also included for free. See more information & details
If possible, first time visitors should go with a local guide, to know better about history and culture. Contact us by +84968009827 (call/whatsapp) to book a private English-speaking guide.
We suggest this itinerary for first timers:
Total distance: 1,65 kilometers
– Starting point: the Japanese style gate (the west end of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street). A model of the Red Seal Ship (Japanese merchant’s ship) and a ticket office are in a close distance.
– Walk along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. On this road, visitors will have the chance to sightsee Cam Pho Communal House (ticket required), Japanese Culture Gallery (ticket required), Phung Hung Old House (one of the best heritage houses, ticket required), Nguyen Tuong Family Chapel (in the alleyway, ticket required).
– Visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the symbol of Hoi An. This place definitely is a must see attraction.
– Walk along Tran Phu Street, the most beautiful road in Hoi An, until Hoi An Central Market. On this road, visitors will have the chance to sightsee so many historical attractions. From the bridge to the market, there are Cantonese Assembly Hall (ticket required), Museum of Sa Huynh Culture (ticket required), Duc An Old House (ticket required), Kazik Park (free), Quan Thang Old House (ticket required), Museum of Trade Ceramics (ticket required), Trung Hoa Assembly Hall (ticket required), Fujian Assembly Hall (ticket required), Quan Cong Temple (ticket required), Quan Am Pagoda (ticket required), Hoi An Central Market (free to enter), a couple of rooftop coffee shops, Instagrammable spots, shophouses selling lanterns, food, souvenirs and fashion items.
– Walk southwards and along Tieu La Street (east side of Hoi An Central Market). On this road, there are many vendors and stalls selling a diversity of local products, giving a good chance to know about local life and photograph.
– Walk westwards and along Bach Dang Street (the riverside street). On this road, visitors will see Hoi An Traditional Performance House (ticket required if want to watch shows) and Museum of Folklore (ticket required).
– Turn into Le Loi Street and then turn left, walking along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. On this road, visitors will see Tan Ky Old House (one of the best heritage houses, ticket required) and Diep Dong Nguyen Old House (not yet opened to visitors, see from outside).
– The ending point: the crossroad near the north end of An Hoi Bridge or the west end of Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. In the evening, from here, visitors can walk cross the bridge and then turn right to see the entrance of the Hoi An Night Market, the biggest night market in Hoi An.
For more information and details, please browse https://hoiandaytrip.com/hoi-an-self-guided-walking-tour
Guided Tours to Hoi An Ancient Town Vietnam
From Hoi An
– Hoi An Old Town Walking Tour – 2 Hour Express Tour with Local
– Hoi An Half Day Walking Tour: Heritage Sites, Crafts & Show
– Hoi An Early Morning Walking Tour with Local Pho & Coffee
– Hoi An Afternoon Walking Tour + Thu Bon River Sunset Cruise
– Hoi An Night Tour from Hoi An: Lantern Boat, Markets & Food
– Hoi An Walking Tour with Sightseeing & Cooking Class
– Hoi An Late Afternoon Walking Tour with Local Food Tastings
– Hoi An Walking Tour with Thanh Ha Pottery Village by Boat
– Hoi An Instagram Tour: Best Photo Spots & Rooftop Café
– Hoi An Old Town Food Tour with Night Boat Ride
– Hoi An Old Town Private Walking Tour with Local Expert (4 hours duration from departure time)
HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD daily organizes tours in Hoi An and Da Nang. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
From Da Nang
– Hoi An Half Day Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An Night Tour from Da Nang
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Day Tour from Da Nang
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Night Tour from Da Nang
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Highlights Tour
– Marble Mountain, Lady Buddha & Hoi An Day Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An Day Tour from Da Nang with Chinese Speaking Guide
– My Son Sanctuary & Hoi An Tour from Da Nang
– Golden Bridge/Ba Na Hills Tour & Hoi An Tour from Da Nang
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Tour from Da Nang Cruise Port
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Tour from Chan May Cruise Port
HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD daily organizes tours in Hoi An and Da Nang. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Photos, Videos about Lanterns in Hoi An
Here are beautiful photos and videos about lanterns in Hoi An:
