Lantern Boats & Night Market in Hoi An
A visual guide from the Hoi An travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
After dark the Thu Bon River becomes Hoi An's stage: wooden sampans slide between the reflections of a thousand lanterns, passengers set paper-cupped candles adrift, and the An Hoi night market glows behind a wall of silk lanterns that has launched a million photographs. It is unapologetically touristy and genuinely lovely at the same time — the trick is knowing when to float, what to pay and where the quieter corners hide.
On the Water
Boats gather along the Bach Dang quay and the An Hoi bank; rides run around fifteen to twenty minutes, drifting under the bridge lights and back. Ticket booths increasingly post standard prices — check the board or agree the fare before you step in, with lanterns to float usually included or a small extra. Go at blue hour, just after sunset, when the sky still holds colour and the lantern light starts to win.
The Night Market
Across the footbridge on the An Hoi islet, Nguyen Hoang street runs a few hundred metres of pure glow — lantern stalls at the entrance (the classic photo stop), then grilled skewers, banana pancakes, coconut ice cream and souvenir rows. It fires up nightly from about 5pm. Sundays and holiday weekends heave; midweek is kinder. Haggle gently, eat as you walk, and finish with a riverside chè dessert looking back at the lit Old Town.