Da Nang Story · October 2026 · By Life of Da Nang
Hoi An Lanterns: How They Are Made and Why They Fold
Many Hoi An lanterns fold like an umbrella to fit in a suitcase. Here is how one is made. The old town's lantern night is on Friday 23 October 2026.
On the 14th night of every lunar month, the centre of Hoi An's old town turns off its electric lights, and lanterns and candles light the streets. Hoi An has held this night since 1998. In October 2026 it falls on Friday 23 October.
Hoi An has been run as part of Da Nang city since 1 July 2025. In 2023, Hoi An joined UNESCO's network of Creative Cities as a city of crafts and folk art.
A Hoi An lantern starts as old bamboo. The makers boil it so insects do not eat it, dry it, and cut it into thin strips. The strips make the frame.
Then they glue cloth onto the frame. The cloth is often silk from Ha Dong, in Hanoi. The shapes include round lanterns and lanterns shaped like a garlic bulb.
The traditional lantern could not fold. In the early 1990s, foreign visitors in Hoi An wanted to buy lanterns as gifts, and a lantern that does not fold is hard to carry home.
A local bamboo weaver, Huỳnh Văn Ba, spent months on the problem. He tried a frame that opens and closes like a paper fan. Then he tried one that works like an umbrella, and built the first folding lantern on that idea.
Each bamboo strip has a hole at both ends, and the strips are joined through those holes. Pull the frame open and it is a lantern. Squeeze it shut and it fits in a suitcase.
Later, the state gave Huỳnh Văn Ba the title Nghệ nhân ưu tú, Excellent Craftsman, for his work on lanterns. Today folding bamboo lanterns are popular because they are easy to carry.
Some lantern workshops in Hoi An let visitors make their own lantern, with a maker to guide them.
From 3 to 6 December 2026, the Hoi An International Lantern Festival plans about 20 booths at Hoai River Square and the An Hoi Sculpture Garden, open from 4pm to 9.30pm each day. Visitors there can try the steps of making a Hoi An lantern.
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