Hoi An Lantern Night: The Perfect Evening Itinerary
After sunset the Ancient Town swaps daylight for thousands of silk lanterns, and the Thu Bon river fills with floating candles. Here is how to spend one magical lantern evening in Hoi An — a riverside walk, a basket-boat lantern release and the night market — with the best-rated tours and workshops to book.
At a glance
- 1Old Town lantern walk at dusk
- 2Basket boat & river lantern release
- 3Night market on the far bank
- 4Fold your own silk lantern
Dusk: a lantern walk through the Ancient Town
Start as the lamps flick on around 6pm, when the pedestrian lanes off Tran Phu and Bach Dang glow with paper and silk. A guided evening walk points out the Japanese Covered Bridge, the old merchant houses and the best photo spots along the water, and shows you where locals buy floating candles before the crowds thicken. Full-moon nights, when the town cuts its electric lights, are the most atmospheric — check the lunar calendar when you book.
