We were lucky enough to spend 9 nights in Hoi An Vietnam. It was such a great place to slow down and just relax. What impressed me the most about this town and ancient village, were the beautiful nights. We happened to be visiting over Christmas, but I have a feeling this place is like Christmas every night.
Come with me on a night walk around the UNESCO World Heritage city of Hoi An.
Each night at dusk the floating lanterns would come out. These ladies were selling the candles from their boat. In the background you will also see the Japanese Bridge, which is a wooden structure with a pagoda on it, dating from the 18th century.
Japanese Bridge Hoi An Vietnam
Floating candles were everywhere and the locals weren’t afraid to approach you to buy them for about $.50. Often the ladies would be out selling them and they would also have kids along with them. The kids were very difficult to say no to.
Just look how adorable they are dressed up in their Santa suits. We did find them to be a little aggressive when we said no. The kids would often put on the sad face and say that we needed to buy one now so they could go home to do their school work. They had many tactics for trying to get you to buy one.
Of course many tourists did purchase the lanterns and it was beautiful to watch them float along the river. You were to place it in the river and make a wish. If you didn’t want to make a wish, you could just have the “bad” go away in your life. Not a bad deal for $.50!
Often around town, we would see newlyweds taking their wedding photos. It is our assumption that this is a destination location for weddings in Vietnam. They were always dressed so beautifully and we just couldn’t resist taking a few photos of them ourselves.
I just love any water town, as I feel so comfortable when I am around water. San Francisco is my all-time favorite, but I also love Amsterdam, Almuñécar, and other locations as well. The energy and vibes of the people when they are around water are great. There is often a cool breeze which comes along with water as well. But my favorite things are all of the lights and their reflections. It is truly magical to watch it all glisten, dance, and make the water come alive at night.
This ancient village is also known for the Hoi An Lanterns. The streets are lined with shops selling the handmade lanterns, which are covered wood frames with silk fabric. They were also strung along the streets between trees and around restaurants. It was really beautiful to see.
Walking through the village following our Christmas Eve Dinner Cruise was just magical. Everyone was in good spirits and the town was alive.
If you want to spend more time in the area, take the time to check out this central Vietnam itinerary.
Last but not least, we loved meeting up with a fellow traveling family, The Traveling Hamsters (Suzanne, Jim and Lily). It was fun to hangout with them and walk around town at night. The bridge crossing the river was also full of lights and color.
We hope you enjoyed seeing Hoi An Vietnam at night. We will also share many photos and info about the town, along with our stories.
Have you been to Hoi An? Do you like water towns?
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You’ve managed to take such lovely photos of Hoi An at night – mine all came out really blurry which is a shame and unfortunately, I didn’t have a good camera when I went a couple of years ago. Isn’t the Japanese bridge just so pretty? I absolutely loved Hoi An (there’s a post on my blog if you fancy reading it) – just loved the vibe out there and found the people so friendly 🙂
Hi Shikha, thanks for stopping by and for the compliment. It was difficult to get photos, as it rained most of the time we were there. The night was so gorgeous. Coming soon, we will have a post about the day as well. It was a lovely place. I’ll check out yours too.
Neat tradition here with the lanterns. Loving your pictures and stories here! We spent 2 months in Hoi An. We were a bit outside of town so rode bikes into and out of th hot spots each night. As for memories we enjoyed our time there. The people were friendly, the food amazing and the French feel/influence is still strong these days.
I’d add that we visited during peak high season which meant heat indexes up to 120 F on some days. Hottest and most humid place I’ve visited on earth! Which meant my water weight dropped in like days lol…..
Great work here guys, keep it up!!
Ryan
You are too sweet Ryan, thanks! I can’t even imagine the 120F temps around there, but wouldn’t mind the water weight drop. Ha! My only wish is that we would have been able to see more out of town. A couple of times we planned to have a scooter day out to the beaches and see the country, but it rained every day. It was too difficult to find a non wet window of time. A bit different from the season you visited.