Hoi An’s lantern festival falls on the 14th day of every lunar month: the remaining 2026 dates are 23 October, 22 November and 22 December, and 2027 has twelve, from 21 January to 11 December. On those nights the old town centre switches off its white electric lights and the Hoai River fills with floating candle lanterns. From Hadana Boutique Resort Hoi An, An Hoi Bridge is about 1.5 km, a 20-minute walk.
The dates follow the lunar calendar, so they move every year. The first International Lantern Festival, 3–6 December 2026, is a separate event.
Watching the lanterns from Hadana
An Hoi Bridge is about 20 minutes on foot from the resort: walk in at dusk, ride back after the boats.
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What actually happens on a lantern night
Hoi An has held this night every lunar month since 1998. On the 14th, usually a day or two before the astronomical full moon, the old town centre turns off its white electric lighting and runs on lanterns, recreating an early 20th-century evening in the port.
On the streets
Community groups run folk games and small performances: bai choi, a sung card game a little like bingo; blindfolded pot-breaking; chess; tuong opera, folk songs and calligraphy. The heritage centre’s September 2026 programme ran 6.30–9 pm; travel guides put the lantern-lit period at roughly 6–10 pm.
On the river
Most visitors come for the Hoai River, where small paper candle lanterns, called hoa dang, are set on the water for luck from the bank or from a boat. Boats and lantern sellers work every evening from about 5 pm; the 14th adds the dimmed streets, the folk programme and far more people.
Hoi An lantern festival dates for 2026 and 2027
Each date is the 14th lunar day, calculated for Vietnam’s time zone and matched against a Vietnamese lunar calendar and, for October and November 2026, published event listings. The city can move a programme for weather or a ceremony.
| Date | Day | Lunar month (day 14) | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 October 2026 | Friday | 9th month | Flood season |
| 22 November 2026 | Sunday | 10th month | Flood season |
| 22 December 2026 | Tuesday | 11th month | Festival installations planned |
| 21 January 2027 | Thursday | 12th month | Two weeks before Tet |
| 19 February 2027 | Friday | 1st month | Eve of Nguyen Tieu |
| 21 March 2027 | Sunday | 2nd month | Dry season |
| 20 April 2027 | Tuesday | 3rd month | Dry season |
| 19 May 2027 | Wednesday | 4th month | Hot days |
| 18 June 2027 | Friday | 5th month | Hot days |
| 17 July 2027 | Saturday | 6th month | Summer holidays |
| 15 August 2027 | Sunday | 7th month | Summer holidays |
| 14 September 2027 | Tuesday | 8th month | Eve of Mid-Autumn |
| 13 October 2027 | Wednesday | 9th month | Flood season |
| 11 November 2027 | Thursday | 10th month | Flood season |
| 11 December 2027 | Saturday | 11th month | Rainy season |
The International Lantern Festival, Tet and Mid-Autumn
International Lantern Festival, 3–6 December 2026
Da Nang City has scheduled Hoi An’s first International Lantern Festival, Hoi An – Colours of Heritage, for 3–6 December 2026 (Tuoi Tre News, VOV, July 2026): a land-and-river opening show, about 15 large lantern installations, workshops, a food area and a lantern procession around Hoai River Square, the An Hoi Sculpture Garden and the riverbanks. Ticketing and hours were unpublished in early October 2026. It falls in a moonless week; the installations should stay up until Nguyen Tieu 2027.
Tet, Nguyen Tieu and Mid-Autumn 2027
Lunar New Year is 6 February 2027, a family holiday first. The bigger lantern evening is Nguyen Tieu, the first full moon: in 2026 Hoi An marked it over the 14th to 16th of the first lunar month with a parade, bai choi and flower lanterns on the river, which puts 2027’s at 19–21 February. Mid-Autumn 2027 is 15 September, with the lantern night on the 14th; the 2026 programme was aimed at children.
Where to watch, and what a lantern boat costs
Three vantage points face each other across one short stretch of river, all within 25 minutes’ walk of Hadana.
| Spot | From Hadana | Good for | Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bach Dang riverside (old-town bank) | About 1.1 km, 14 min walk | Boats, lantern sellers, close views | Narrow and the busiest |
| An Hoi Bridge | About 1.5 km, 20 min walk | Raised view up and down the river | Crowds stall at peak time |
| An Hoi riverfront and night market | About 1.7 km, 22 min walk | Wide view of the yellow shophouses; cafe seats | You cross the bridge with everyone |
Lantern boats and what they cost
The boats are small wooden craft run by a boatmen’s guild, with counters near An Hoi Bridge and along Bach Dang. Listed fares since July 2022 are VND 150,000 per boat for one to three people and VND 200,000 for four or five, for 20 minutes (Dan Tri, VTC News); January 2026 guides quote up to VND 170,000 and 220,000. Lanterns are about VND 5,000–10,000 each (early 2026), and life jackets are required. Go out before 7 pm, while the river is less crowded.
Tickets, crowds and timing
The old town ticket
International visitors have paid VND 120,000 for the ticket since 2023 and Vietnamese visitors VND 80,000; a January 2026 notice from the heritage office frames the two prices as packages, the dearer one adding a museum and more sites. One ticket covers up to three days and the street performances. Night checks are patchy: since May 2023 guided groups must hold tickets while individual visitors are asked to buy, and a May 2026 traveller report found checks mainly at the Japanese Covered Bridge on busy evenings. Buy one by day and keep it.
Crowds and timing
The riverbank fills from about 6 pm and peaks between roughly 7.30 and 9 pm. Weekend dates are the most packed: 22 November 2026, then 21 March, 17 July, 15 August and 11 December 2027. Arrive around 5–5.30 pm to see the light change before the crowd.
Getting there and back from Hadana
Hadana stands on Cua Dai Road, east of the old town: about 1.1 km (14 minutes) to the market end of Bach Dang and 1.5 km plus the bridge, roughly 20 minutes, to An Hoi, along a busy main road. Our getting-around guide lists every distance.
Walk in, ride back
Walk in at dusk and take a Grab back: Grab’s July 2026 fare table lists VND 27,000 for the first 2 km in a four-seat car in Da Nang City, which covers most of the ride, with higher fares when the lantern crowd leaves. Cars stay out of the walking streets until about 9 pm (9.30 pm in summer), so meet your driver at the edge.
On the free bikes
Hadana’s free bicycles, while they last, reach town in under 10 minutes. Bikes are banned from the walking streets during pedestrian hours, so use a paid bike park on the edge; ask for one with a light.
Planning a stay around a lantern night
Check-in starts at 2 pm, so a same-day arrival still leaves time to rest before you walk in at dusk.
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Is the Hoi An lantern festival on the full moon or the 14th?
It is on the 14th day of the lunar month, usually one or two days before the astronomical full moon. The moon already looks full, hence the name. A Western calendar app shows the full moon a little later, so plan around the lunar dates in the table above.
Can you float a lantern in Hoi An on an ordinary night?
Yes. Boats and lantern sellers work the Hoai River every evening from about 5 pm, at the same fares. On an ordinary night you miss the dimmed old town and the folk programme, but gain space on the bank and the water.
Is the International Lantern Festival the same as the monthly lantern night?
No. The International Lantern Festival is a city event on 3–6 December 2026, with large lantern installations, workshops and a procession around Hoai River Square and the An Hoi Sculpture Garden. The monthly lantern night is the 14th-of-the-month tradition; the nearest one is 22 December, when the installations should still be up.
Does rain or flooding cancel the lantern night?
It can, mostly in October and November, Hoi An’s flood months. When the river runs high, boat trips stop and the riverside streets flood first, as in late October 2025, when tourist activities were suspended. For 23 October or 22 November 2026, choose a refundable rate and keep a spare evening.
How long should I allow for a lantern night from Hadana?
Allow about four hours. Leave Hadana around 5 pm, walk the 20 minutes to the river, take a boat before 7 pm, then eat and wander the lantern-lit streets while the folk games run. Head back around 9 pm, before the main rush for Grab cars, or wait until it clears.
Base yourself a walk from the lanterns
Hadana is about 20 minutes on foot from An Hoi Bridge, with a pool courtyard to come back to.
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Dates follow the Vietnamese lunar calendar. Event details, ticket, boat and Grab fares and distances checked October 2026.