buildwith.Hoi An lantern workshop
buildwith / experiences / hoi-an-lantern-workshop
🏮 Asia · Vietnam

Hoi An lantern-making class + Full Moon Lantern Festival

BUILD a bamboo-and-silk lantern with local artisans.

Workshop / open build
23 Oct 2026Next date
None listedNext deadline / key date
Monthly (14th day of lunar month)Usual timing
Hoi An Ancient Town, VietnamWhere
01 · How to take part

Your way in

Make a lantern at one of Hoi An's lantern workshops, then walk the lantern-lit old town on the 14th night of the lunar month.

Workshop / open build

Make a bamboo-and-silk lantern

Hoi An has more than 30 lantern workshops (provincial tourism department). Make a lantern with a local artisan, then walk the old town on Hội An Legendary Night, held on the 14th night of every lunar month, when lanterns replace the street lights. Class times and booking vary by workshop: we don't link a single operator.

Workshop / open build

New: Hoi An International Lantern Festival (3–6 Dec 2026)

A first edition with lantern installations; a hands-on lantern-making area was reported by the Da Nang city tourism portal.

You build or use
BUILD a bamboo-and-silk lantern with local artisans
Participation
Build (workshop)
Entry and deadlines
Class booking varies by workshop (we don't link individual operators)
Where
Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam
02 · Dates

Dates and deadlines, Oct 2026 to Dec 2027

Usual timing: Monthly (14th day of lunar month). Dates are only shown where a source publishes them; everything else is marked TBC.

  • 23 Oct 2026Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source. · sourceWorkshop / open build
  • 22 Nov 2026Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source. · sourceWorkshop / open build
  • 3–6 Dec 2026Hoi An International Lantern Festival 2026First edition (Da Nang city tourism portal). New find, not one of the original 27 rows. · sourceWorkshop / open build
  • 22 Dec 2026Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source. · sourceWorkshop / open build
  • 21 Jan 2027Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source. · sourceWorkshop / open build
  • 19 Feb 2027Hoi An lantern night at Nguyên Tiêu (first full moon of the lunar year)14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source. · sourceWorkshop / open build
  • Mar 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Apr 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • May 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Jun 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Jul 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Aug 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Sep 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Oct 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Nov 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build
  • Dec 2027 · date TBCHoi An Full Moon Lantern Night: monthly, Mar-Dec 2027 (dates TBC)Held on the 14th night of every lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal); 2027 dates TBC. · sourceDate TBCWorkshop / open build

See it on the calendar →

03 · Skills you'll need

Skills you'll need

What to learn and practise before you go. Each resource is marked Official or Community-accepted and names its publisher. Difficulty and prep time are our estimate.

Core skill

Making a Hoi An lantern: shaping a bamboo-rib frame and covering it with silk

Also useful:

  • Gluing, stretching and trimming fabric neatly over curves
  • Folding and packing a collapsible lantern to carry home
Difficulty our estimateBeginner
Prep time our estimate30 minutes reading; optional 1 practice session

Difficulty and prep time are Curiosta editorial estimates for a first-timer, not organiser figures.

Refresher

  1. A traditional Hoi An lantern has two stages: the bamboo frame, then the fabric covering. The bamboo is soaked, dried and split into thin ribs, which are fixed between two rings.
  2. Adjust the ribs by eye until the shape is even before any fabric goes on; a lopsided frame shows once lit.
  3. Cut fabric panels to the frame, apply glue sparingly along the ribs, and stretch the silk taut without tearing it. Silk and satin are used because they stretch without ripping.
  4. Trim excess fabric with sharp scissors close to the rib, then add the top grip and tassel.
  5. Class length varies by workshop. Often the artisan prepares the frame and you focus on covering and finishing; ask how to fold it flat for travel.
  6. Light only with an LED or low-heat bulb at home; open flames and silk don't mix.

Practise before you go

  • Make a simple paper lantern on a wire or bamboo-skewer frame at home to practise stretching and gluing over curves.
  • Practise cutting neat curved edges with fabric scissors on scrap cloth.
  • Read the provincial tourism department's story on the two-stage process before the class.

Safety notes

  • Sharp scissors and craft knives: cut away from your body.
  • Use LED lights in finished silk lanterns, never candles.

Resources

Officialofficial city page

Hội An Legendary Night: a unique brand of Hội An

Official description of the monthly lantern night: on the 14th night of every lunar month the old town swaps electric lights for lanterns (since 1998).

Publisher: Hội An Creative City portal (city government)

Officialofficial tourism-board story (on Google Arts & Culture)

The Colorful Lanterns of Hoi An

Illustrated, step-by-step account of bamboo preparation, frame-making and silk covering.

Publisher: Vietnamese provincial tourism department, published on Google Arts & Culture (partner label: Quang Binh Tourism Department; credits: Quang Nam Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Officialofficial city tourism page

Hoi An International Lantern Festival 2026

Official note on the festival's hands-on lantern-making booths and artisan exchanges.

Publisher: Da Nang City Tourism (Danang Fantasticity, official tourism portal)

No official resource yet

No official video tutorial yet.

See also the skills guide: Lanterns & floating lights → · All skills guides

04 · Check before you go

What we could and couldn't confirm

Before you book

  • The monthly lantern night is official (Hội An Creative City portal). Exact calendar dates are our check of the 14th lunar day: Unconfirmed: no official source.
  • We removed the workshop operator we used to link: its site was branded HAPPY TOWN and carried leftover spa links, so it wasn't clearly a legitimate lantern workshop.
  • Costs are not listed on buildwith. Check them, and the latest dates, on the official site.