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Vietnam’s festival calendar runs on the lunar calendar, which means the biggest nights land on the full moon. In Hoi An, motorbikes leave the old town, the electric lights go off and silk lanterns and candle floats take over, and in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City entire streets sell lanterns before Mid-Autumn. This guide to the lantern Festival in Vietnam covers five lantern experiences, a year-at-a-glance calendar, how a Hoi An lantern night works, the lantern streets, Tet and carnivals. A timely point: tonight, October 23, 2026, is a Hoi An full-moon lantern night, but central Vietnam is in its flood season, so check the weather before you rely on it.

Best Lantern Festival in Vietnam: Five to Know

These five show the range, from a monthly full-moon night to a new international festival. Dates come from the sources named, and lunar dates can differ by a day.

1. Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night

Held on the 14th night of every lunar month in Hoi An Ancient Town, from about 6 pm to 10 pm, according to VinWonders. It is usually described as dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, when lanterns honoured the full moon and guided boats into the port.

2. The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival (Tet Trung Thu)

Held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, it is a family festival that honours the harvest and children. VinWonders names Tuyen Quang as the largest Mid-Autumn lantern festival in Vietnam, Hue for its handcrafted lanterns along streets and waterways, Saigon for its lantern street and Hanoi for Hang Ma Street. The 2026 festival was on September 24 and 25, and the next is expected on September 14 and 15, 2027.

3. Hoi An’s First International Lantern Festival (December 2026)

A resort’s marketing page lists December 3 to 6, 2026, from 4 pm to 9:30 pm, with about 15 large installations around Hoai River Square and An Hoi Sculpture Garden, an opening ceremony on December 3 at 7 pm, lantern-making workshops and a lantern procession on December 4. A separate events calendar calls it the Da Nang International Lantern Festival, held at Song Hoai Square. No official organiser or ticket details were found, so treat it as provisional.

4. Nguyen Tieu, the First Full Moon of the Lunar Year

A hotel blog lists March 2, 2026 as the first full moon night of the lunar year, called Nguyen Tieu. An events calendar puts the 2027 Nguyen Tieu lantern festival at about February 20, a converted date that is approximate.

5. Hue’s Lantern-Lit Streets and Waterways

VinWonders says Hue features over a thousand handcrafted lanterns along its streets and waterways at Mid-Autumn, with traditional performances. That article dates from 2023 and gives no 2026 detail.

Festivals in Vietnam: A Year at a Glance

A traveller reading about festivals in Vietnam will find that most dates are lunar, so they move each year. Here is a rough calendar from the sources below, with approximate lunar conversions:

1. Tet (Lunar New Year): Saturday, February 6, 2027, according to a tour operator, with New Year’s Eve on February 5.
2. Nguyen Tieu: About February 20, 2027, from a Hoi An events calendar.
3. Whale Worship at Cua Dai: About March 23, 2027, from the same calendar.
4. Vesak: About May 20, 2027, from the same calendar.
5. Hue Festival: A Vietnam Airlines guide gives April or June and calls it annual in one place and biennial in another, so confirm the year before planning.
6. Da Nang International Fireworks Festival: June to July on the Han River, per the same guide.
7. Mid-Autumn Festival: About September 15, 2027.
8. Da Lat Flower Festival: December, usually late December and biennial, per the Vietnam Airlines guide.

Hoi An Lantern: How a Full-Moon Night Works

The hoi an lantern night follows a similar pattern each month, according to a riverside hotel’s blog and an affiliate travel guide, which differ slightly on timings:

1. Late afternoon: The old town becomes pedestrian-only, with motorbikes cleared around 5:30 pm in one source, and about 4:30 pm in the other.
2. About 6 pm: Electric lights are switched off, leaving lanterns as the main light. The hotel blog says this is a local heritage policy dating to a 1998 municipal decision, which we saw in only one source.
3. Evening: Lion dances and bai choi games, one guide says from about 7 pm.
4. 7:00 to 9:00 pm: Candle floats are released on the Hoai River, with peak crowds near the Japanese Bridge and An Hoi footbridge between 7:30 and 8:45 pm, according to the guide.

Costs from those pages, which are promotional: walking the streets is free, and entering historic buildings needs a 120,000 VND heritage ticket for international visitors, per both pages. A river boat is 150,000 VND for one to three passengers and 200,000 VND for four to five, paid at official piers on Bach Dang Street, and candle floats cost roughly 5,000 to 40,000 VND depending on the source. The guide warns of unofficial boat touts asking 400,000 to 500,000 VND. It recommends arriving around 4:30 to 5 pm, and booking Ancient Town hotels 4 to 8 weeks ahead.

Also Read: Best Things to Do in Da Nang, Vietnam: A Complete Visitor’s Guide

Hoian Lantern: Full-Moon Dates for 2026 and 2027

Searches for Hoian lantern dates usually want the next full-moon night. Two Hoi An sources give these dates, and lunar dates can shift by a day, so confirm with local sources:

1. October 23, 2026: Tonight, according to both a hotel blog and an events calendar.
2. November 22, 2026.
3. December 22, 2026.
4. January 21, 2027.
5. February 19 or 20, 2027: The events calendar says February 19 and a guide says February 20.
6. March 21, 2027.

The events calendar also lists April 20, May 19, June 18, July 17, August 15 and September 14 for 2027. The 2027 dates are conversions, and the official Da Nang list for 2027 was expected in December 2026.

Lantern Street Vietnam: Where Lanterns Are Sold

A lantern street Vietnam visit is usually about the weeks before Mid-Autumn. A Tuoi Tre report from August 2022 named these:

1. Hang Ma, Hang Ruc and Hang Ruoi: Streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter selling traditional paper lanterns, electronic lanterns and clay sculptures.
2. Luong Nhu Hoc Street: In District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, selling lanterns of many shapes and colours.

The article notes crowds of children, young people and families, including visitors from nearby provinces. The 2022 report is old, and no 2026 street conditions were found, so check locally.

Also Read: Famous Vietnamese Food: The Complete Guide to Top Vietnamese Dishes & Cuisine

Best Festivals in Vietnam: Tet and the Big Picks

Among the best festivals in Vietnam, Tet is the nation’s biggest. Vietnam Airlines describes it as the most celebrated festival, welcoming the new year and family reunion, lasting about seven to nine days, when services may be limited. For 2027, a tour operator’s blog says Tet falls on Saturday, February 6. The holiday length was a proposal in August 2026: Tuoi Tre reported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism backing a seven-day break from February 4 to 10, with the Ministry of Home Affairs having proposed a longer alternative, and no final decision was found. Tips from the operator, which also sells tours:

1. Expect closures: On the first three days, many small restaurants, street stalls, family shops, museums, banks and post offices are likely to be closed, while hotels, international chains and tourist districts mostly stay open.
2. Book transport early: It says flights, trains and buses sold out weeks ahead during Tet 2026 at much higher fares, and advises booking by November 2026.
3. Follow the customs: Lucky money in crisp new notes, avoiding amounts containing a 4, and avoiding sweeping or taking out rubbish on the first day.
4. Stay flexible: It suggests arriving by February 2, staying in one base during February 6 to 8 and resuming travel from around February 10.

Also Read: Explore the World’s Largest Cave: Hang Son Doong, Vietnam

Carnival in Vietnam: Parades and Sea Festivals

Vietnam’s nearest thing to a carnival in Vietnam is the Ha Long Carnival. The official Vietnam Tourism website lists the 2026 edition as April 25 to May 3 at Sun Carnival Square in Bai Chay Ward, Quang Ninh Province, with colourful parades and performances that blend the province’s mining and coastal culture with a modern feel. That edition has passed, and no 2027 dates were found. Other parade-style events from the Vietnam Airlines guide, which contradicts itself on some dates:

1. Nha Trang Sea Festival: May or June and biennial, with marine art, fashion shows, beach folk games and seafood festivals.
2. Da Lat Flower Festival: Late December, with flower exhibitions, parade floats and a night flower market.
3. Da Nang International Fireworks Festival: June to July on the Han River, with competing teams and free riverfront viewing.

Timing note: Central Vietnam is at its wettest in October. A travel guide says Da Nang and Hoi An average about 650 mm of October rain, that the Old Town floods when heavy rain meets high tides, and that high water can curtail or cancel the lantern night, so treat it as a bonus rather than an anchor. In late 2025 the river rose above its 1964 level, according to the same guide, and VietNamNet reported on November 17 and 18, 2025 that Bach Dang Street was flooded more than a metre deep, the third flood in about 20 days. The typhoon season runs roughly August to November, and the guide advises checking the national forecaster the week you travel, booking refundable and insuring against weather disruption.

Also Read: 12 Must-See Places to Visit in Vietnam for Every Traveler

Conclusion: Follow the Full Moon

The best lantern festival in Vietnam is the monthly Hoi An full-moon night, with Mid-Autumn the biggest lantern moment, Tet on February 6, 2027 the biggest festival of the year and a new international lantern festival planned for December. Check the lunar date, the weather and the closures, and book transport and hotels early.

Planning a trip to Vietnam around a festival? Open the Explurger app to find travelers heading to Hoi An, Hanoi or Hue and share plans and tips.

FAQs About Lantern Festival in Vietnam