Hoi An is lit by lanterns every night of the year. Silk lanterns hang over the lanes and across the river, and the old merchant houses glow yellow after dark. But once a month the town goes a step further. The electric street lights go off, the music gets more traditional and the river fills with small floating candles. This guide covers what happens, the dates for the rest of 2026 and for 2027, and how to make the most of it.
What the Hoi An lantern festival is
Locally it's known as the old town's full-moon night. Hoi An started it in 1998 as a monthly celebration of the town's heritage, a year before the old town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since then it has taken place every month on the 14th day of the lunar calendar.
On the night:
- The lights go off. Electric lighting in the old town is switched off from early evening until about 10pm, so the streets are lit only by lanterns and the moon.
- Candle lanterns on the river. People buy small paper lanterns with a candle inside, make a wish and set them on the Hoai River, from the bank or from a little rowing boat.
- Music and games. Folk music and traditional games take place in the streets and squares of the old town.
- Offerings. Families and shopkeepers burn incense and put out offerings outside their houses and at the pagodas, because the full moon is an important day in the Buddhist calendar.
Two nights each year are bigger than the rest: the first full moon of the lunar year (Nguyen Tieu, just after Tet) and the Mid-Autumn Festival in September.
Hoi An lantern festival dates
Rest of 2026
| Date | Lunar date |
|---|---|
| Fri 23 October 2026 | 14th of the 9th month |
| Sun 22 November 2026 | 14th of the 10th month |
| Tue 22 December 2026 | 14th of the 11th month |
2027
| Date | Note |
|---|---|
| Thu 21 January 2027 | |
| Fri 19 February 2027 | Nguyen Tieu, the first full moon of the new lunar year |
| Sun 21 March 2027 | |
| Tue 20 April 2027 | |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | |
| Fri 18 June 2027 | |
| Sat 17 July 2027 | |
| Sun 15 August 2027 | |
| Tue 14 September 2027 | The night before the Mid-Autumn Festival (15 September) |
| Wed 13 October 2027 | Flood season |
| Thu 11 November 2027 | Flood season |
| Sat 11 December 2027 | Flood season |
The dates follow the Vietnamese lunar calendar, and we've checked them against it. A few English-language sites have some 2027 dates a day out (19 April and 17 June instead of the 20th and 18th). If a date matters for your trip, ask your hotel a week or two before, because the town occasionally changes its programme around holidays.
Where to see it
- The An Hoi footbridge. The single busiest spot, and the classic view back over the river to the old town.
- The riverbank along Bach Dang Street. Good for watching boats and lanterns drift past without fighting for space on the bridge.
- Around the Japanese Covered Bridge. Atmospheric, but one of the more crowded corners once the lights go off.
- Side streets a block back from the river. Much quieter, and still lit only by lanterns once the festival starts.
Walk into the old town in the late afternoon, have an early dinner and find your spot before the lights go off at around 6pm.
What to wear and bring
Light, comfortable clothes and shoes you can stand around in for a few hours are enough; nothing about the night calls for anything more formal. Bring cash in dong for a lantern (roughly 10,000 to 40,000 dong), a boat ride and the old town ticket, since not every stall or boat owner takes cards. A light layer helps once you're sitting still by the river after dark, and the old town ticket itself is 120,000 dong for foreign visitors, covering entry to five heritage sites such as the old houses, assembly halls and museums.
The lantern festival and our trips
Some departures of our Vietnam Express and Vietnam North to South trips are timed so that the full moon falls while we're in Hoi An. They're marked "Lantern night" on the trip pages. On the Vietnam Express you also make your own silk lantern at a small workshop. We don't run either trip in the flood season.
