For a long time, Hoi An Full Moon Festival has been considered an indispensable part of the traditional culture of the Hoi An people. This is an attractive opportunity for tourists in Hoi An to better understand the Ancient Town culture.
Coming to Hoi An Full Moon Festival and immersing in a unique and lively space, surely you can have unforgettable experiences in your life.
Hoi An Full Moon Festival, also known as Hoi An Lantern Festival, has become a proud traditional symbol of Hoi An Ancient Town locals.
As an Ancient Town steeped in traditional Eastern culture, the majority of Hoi An people always take time to participate in activities during the Full Moon Festival.
Hoi An Full Moon Festival with colourful lanterns spread all over streets
Hoi An Lantern Festival day is an occasion when people perform traditional folk rituals such as going to pagodas and praying for a peaceful life. Instead of being indoors like normal days, people often go out together to enjoy the moonlight.
According to local people, on the full moon night, the moon is not only fullest but also brightest of the month. Therefore, immersing themselves in the moonlight will bring people good luck.
Along with the moonlight, people light up Hoi An Ancient town with colourful lanterns. There are many traditional cultural and artistic activities taking place at Hoi An Moon Festival, especially the central location where the Japanese Covered Bridge is located.
The Japanese Covered Bridge at Hoi An Full Moon Festival
Coming to Hoi An Full Moon Festival, you have an ideal chance to enjoy the bustling atmosphere amidst the fanciful and poetic scene of the Ancient Town in the evening. Joining the crowd, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere and participating in activities organised during the festival will be a unique experience that Hoi An moon festival can give you.
Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Festival takes place from 6 pm to 10 pm on the 14th day of the lunar calendar every month. Traditional cultural activities of the festival happen mainly in the centre of Hoi An, where the romantic Hoai River divides the Ancient Town into two opposite banks.
Hoi An Lantern Festival dates according to the calendar in 2023-2024:
Hoi An Mid-Autumn Festival is a special occasion that takes place in the Full Moon Festival in the eighth lunar month every year.
The Mid-Autumn Festival in Hoi An takes place within about 4 days from the 12th to the end of the 15th day of the lunar calendar (September 26th to 29th, 2023). In particular, the 14th (September 28th) and especially the 15th (September 29th) are the official days of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Colourful lanterns in Hoi An Mid-Autumn Festival
Unlike Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Festival, which is only held in the Ancient Town, Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated all over the streets of Hoi An. In other words, you can enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere anywhere in Hoi An. It is interesting that the Hoi An people assure visitors that no matter where you are during the Hoi An Mid Autumn Festival, you can see the bright lights of Hoi An lanterns.
However, if you want to fully enjoy the traditional values and experience many activities happening in the festival, you should not lose the opportunity to come to the Ancient Town. It is a good idea to go with a local or a tour guide to discover more exciting stories.
Experiencing Hoi An Mid-Autumn Festival, especially in the Ancient Town, is always an unforgettable memory for tourists who have been here.
Unlike many other areas in Viet Nam, Hoi An always seems to know how to make itself more prominent in the eyes of tourists at every Mid-Autumn Festival. Hoi An has a long-standing traditional beauty, represented by ancient houses using typical yin and yang tiles on the roof, along with cosy yellow wall paint to attract tourists.
Hoi An mesmerising beauty at Mid-Autumn Festival
Especially on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn, Hoi An beauty is multiplied with colourful lanterns hanging across the street. Lanterns are a traditional feature of Hoi An Ancient Town, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is the special occasion the locals exhibit and light up all the lanterns on the street.
An interesting thing that helps Hoi An Full Moon Festival attract visitors is the organisation of unique folk games in the evening. Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Festival is one of the few ones in Viet Nam that maintains the organisation of traditional folk games with both domestic and foreign tourists.
Vietnamese traditional folk game: Pot breaking
In some games held, pot breaking is one that attracts a lot of attention and participation from foreign tourists because this game is new and imbued with Vietnamese folklore.
Pot breaking is an easy-level game that both child and adult are able to play. As a player in the pot-breaking game, you will be given a cloth to cover your eyes and a wooden or bamboo stick used to break the clay pot. All you need to do is walk straight to where the pot is hanging from a rope about 2 metres above the ground and hit once to break the pot.
Pot breaking is a Vietnamese traditional folk game held at Hoi An Full Moon Festival
Do not worry because players can try once without being blindfolded to count the number of steps needed to get to exactly where you need to go.
Vietnamese traditional folk game: Bai Choi
The other game that also attracts many tourists is playing Bai Choi. It is an art form combining folk songs and folk games only featured in Central Viet Nam.
Bai Choi is a game that is somehow confusing for foreign tourists because the lyrics use a lot of ancient Vietnamese. You could give it a try to either watch or join in because Hoi An is probably the only place in Viet Nam that still organises this game widely. It is great if you join the game with a local because the Hoi An people understand the game rules very well and they are always willing to help. In addition, you can go with a local tour guide to learn how the ancient Hoi An people used this game to express their feelings for each other.
Bai Choi is a Vietnamese traditional folk game held at Hoi An Full Moon Festival
The cheers of encouragement and the sound of the game manager not only make the festive atmosphere lively but also motivate you to join the game right away. If you win any folk games held in Hoi An Full Moon Festival, you can receive Ancient Town-style gifts such as lanterns, conical hats or souvenir keychains.
Perhaps for any tourist who has ever participated in at least one folk game held during this festival, the moment of joy in the games is the most precious.
Taking a boat ride along the Hoai River is a memorable experience for the majority of tourists when arriving in Hoi An, especially during Hoi An Full Moon Festival. This is a perfect time to admire the poetic beauty of the Ancient Town with many colourful lanterns hanging on both sides of the river.
Taking a boat ride on the Hoai River
Besides, this is also a great opportunity for you to keep the memories of Hoi An in your mind with a few nice photos. A tip for any first-time visitor to the Ancient Town on Hoi An Full Moon Festival is to take the boat in the evening instead of the late afternoon. You cannot imagine how vivid Hoi An Ancient Town is if you have never witnessed the Hoai River along the banks at night.
When the moon shines high overhead, and the moonlight shines on the river, the flower garlands and coloured lanterns released by tourists on the river can make the scenery even more magnificent. Taking a boat ride and releasing lanterns on the river not only bring you an enjoyable experience but also show the spiritual value of the Hoi An people. Locals say that lighting, releasing lanterns into the river and praying can make your wishes come true.
Releasing lanterns on the Hoai River at Hoi An Full Moon Festival
Another interesting point for tourists taking a boat ride on the river is to witness the professional skills of the locals rowing boats.
When rowing the boat across under a small bridge named An Hoi Bridge, they jump on that bridge instead of bowing downwards like any tourist sitting on the boat. Then they jump back into the boat and continue to row after the boat has crossed the small bridge. When asked about this action, the boatman said that they want to make the trip more interesting for tourists. Therefore, you can clap them after observing this amusing act to cheer them up.
In the atmosphere of the Hoi An Full Moon Festival, visitor can enjoy some tasty specialities.
Hoi An people have always been proud of their wide range of yummy dishes for visitors whether they are domestic or foreign. Compared to other regions in Viet Nam, Hoi An people tend to season their dishes with lots of spices. Visiting Hoi An, you may come across some herbal gardens like those in Tra Que village. The locals grow and use many kinds of coriander for their daily dishes.
A food vendor sells Cao Lau along Cong Nu Ngoc Hoa Street
Along the riverside Cong Nu Ngoc Hoa Street, a lot of food stalls sell famous Hoi An specialities. There are Cao Lau, Quang noodles, wonton, Vietnamese pancakes, fresh spring rolls, white roses, wet rice cake with grilled meat, Hoi An chicken rice, etc... It is hard to choose, but you should try Cao Lau first. Cao Lau is made from unique noodles made according to Hoi An people's recipe. The locals can proudly say that if tourists see Cao Lau appearing anywhere in the world, it is imported from Hoi An.
A cup of herbal tea at Mot Hoi An
Opposite Cong Nu Ngoc Hoa Street is Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, where sweet dishes are sold along the sidewalk. There are lots of street vendors selling all kinds of sweet soups, including tofu pudding.
Besides, you should try a cup of tea at Mot Hoi An at 150 Tran Phu Street. Although simply made from herbal ingredients, Mot tea attracts several tourists because of its mild taste, creating a pleasant feeling.
You should not miss the opportunity to visit the lantern street in the Ancient Town.
Located on the opposite bank of the Japanese Covered Bridge, this is a hustle and bustle area with several restaurants and souvenir shops. In this area, on Nguyen Hoang Street, there is also a Hoi An night market open daily from 5 pm to 11 pm.
Interestingly, you can be overwhelmed when you see a lot of unique cultural souvenirs about Hoi An being sold on trolleys lined up along the night market street.
In particular, the streets of Nguyen Hoang and Nguyen Phuc Chu are well-known as the areas with the most lanterns in Hoi An. You can easily see colourful lanterns hanging almost covering the streets. At the same time, this area also has many shops selling Hoi An lanterns. You can not be able to imagine how many types of lanterns there are without seeing Hoi An Lantern street.
For the people of Hoi An, lanterns carry more spiritual values than material and aesthetic values. The lighting of all lanterns at Hoi An Full Moon Festival carries a very important meaning. They believe that lanters symbolize luck, happiness and peace.
A household making lanterns in Hoi An Ancient Town
If you want to buy Hoi An lanterns as souvenirs, come to Hoi An Lantern street. You can be assured of the quality of lanterns when you buy them here, where many household businesses make lanterns.
Above is the sharing about Hoi An from a Hoi An local. Hoping that our share will make you feel excited for your upcoming trip to Hoi An during the Hoi An Full Moon Festival. If you have a chance to visit Hoi An, let us know about your experience down below the comments.
To see more about Hoi An:
>> The Best Travel Guide to Build a Complete Hoi An Itinerary
>> Best Restaurants in Hoi An: A guide for food lovers’ seeking traditional flavours
