Full-moon nights on the river, every month
Once a month, on the night before the full moon, Hoi An’s Old Town switches off its electric lights and glows with silk lanterns, candles and paper lanterns floating on the river. Here are the festival dates for 2026 and 2027, what to expect and the best ways to be part of it.
The festival is held on the 14th day of every lunar month, the evening before the full moon. Dates below are calculated from the lunar calendar in Vietnam time.
| Month | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| January | – | Thursday 21 January |
| February | – | Friday 19 February (Lunar New Year festival) |
| March | – | Sunday 21 March |
| April | – | Tuesday 20 April |
| May | – | Wednesday 19 May |
| June | – | Friday 18 June |
| July | – | Saturday 17 July |
| August | – | Sunday 15 August |
| September | – | Tuesday 14 September (Mid-Autumn eve) |
| October | – | Wednesday 13 October |
| November | Sunday 22 November | Thursday 11 November |
| December | Tuesday 22 December | Saturday 11 December |
Local events can change at short notice, for example during floods. Confirm with your hotel a few days before.
From early evening the Old Town turns off its street lights and shop signs, and the streets are lit only by thousands of silk lanterns. Traditional music and folk games such as bai choi take place in the squares, families make offerings at home, and children and boatwomen sell small candle lanterns to set on the Hoai River for luck. The atmosphere is at its best between about 6 and 9 pm.
Hoi An is lit by lanterns every evening, so even if your stay misses the full moon, a boat ride with a floating lantern is still one of the most memorable things to do in town.
A boat ride with a floating lantern is the classic way to join in; the lantern classes make a perfect afternoon before.
A short wooden-boat ride on the river past the lit-up Old Town, ending with a paper lantern you set on the water. Book it for the full-moon lantern nights or any evening; it is the one experience almost every visitor to Hoi An does.
Check availability
Build your own silk lantern in a small Old Town workshop, from bamboo frame to silk panels. The lantern folds flat for your suitcase. Easy, calm and a great keepsake from Hoi An.
Check availabilityAnother highly rated evening boat ride on the Hoai River with a candle lantern to release. Handy if the first option is booked out for your date.
Check availability
A small, very personal lantern class with a local lantern maker in the heart of the Old Town. Cheaper and shorter than most, and reviewers love the host.
Check availabilityOn the 14th day of every lunar month, the night before the full moon. The remaining 2026 dates are 22 November and 22 December; 2027 dates are listed in the table on this page.
Yes, it takes place every lunar month, so there are twelve or thirteen lantern nights a year.
Yes. Floating candle lanterns are sold every evening, and boat rides with a lantern run nightly, not only on festival nights.
Booked online, short boat rides with a lantern start at around $8 per person. Prices at the quay vary and rise on festival nights.
Along the Hoai River between the Japanese Covered Bridge and the An Hoi footbridge, and on the river itself from a boat.
