Festival of the Lanterns of H

The festival

Once a month, on the 14th day of the lunar calendar, the old town of H的i An — the old merchant port of the 16th-17th centuries, classified at UNESCO — extinguishes its electric lights and lights up only with silk lanterns.

From 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., the streets of the yellow trading houses, the temples of the Chinese congregations and the Japanese bridge bathe in the glimmer of the lanterns, while on the Hoai River the boats slide, where they entrust to the water floating lanterns with vows (hoa śăng). Traditional songs bai choi, folk games and street music complete the "Legendary Night of H ̄i An".

The biggest night of the year is the first full moon (Nguyên Tiêu, the day after the Tet); the night of mid-fall is also very popular. Custom perpetuates the full moon vigils of Chinese and Japanese merchants of the past.