Making lanterns in Hoi An

If there’s one thing that Hoi An is known for, it’s lanterns. This Vietnamese city is full of them! They create a cosy, romantic atmosphere which the city is known for.

When I visited Hoi An, I decided to make my own lantern to take home. It was a super fun experience so I thought I’d share what and how I made it with you.

Lanterns in Hoi An

Lanterns are everywhere in Hoi An’s Old Town. It’s the city’s archetypal symbol and you’ll see them hung up over roads, in storefronts and on boats. Undoubtedly if you search for Hoi An, it’s photos of the lanterns that you’ll see.

It’s common to see lanterns in the “Hoi An” style in particular – these are made from transparent fabric and are shaped like hot air balloons. However, many East Asian cultures have their own style of lanterns, such as the long painted lanterns from Japan or round lanterns from China, and you’ll see them hung up too.

I loved seeing all the lanterns. Whilst they feel incredibly touristy and not especially authentic now there are so many, the pale colourful lights add a certain flair to the Old Town which I liked to see.

By the way, I’ve also written a guide on visiting Hoi An, which gives you an in-depth introduction to the city.

A history of Hoi An lanterns

Why are there so many lanterns in Hoi An? You might wonder. I certainly did!

Hoi An is an ancient port town, which boomed between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. During this time, merchants from all over East Asia came to trade, bringing their traditions with them.

The lanterns are thought to originate from the many Japanese and Chinese merchants which used to stay in the port, hanging lanterns from their homes as decoration. Over time, they’ve become the specific style we see today!

On and around the river you’ll see a different kind of lantern, made from paper with a candle lit inside. These are supposed to be released on the river, when you can make a wish. The photos of this are gorgeous, but when I visited in rainy season it wasn’t quite as pretty. That being said, releasing one from the river was still a mesmerising experience.

How are lanterns made in Hoi An?

Within Hoi An, lanterns are a bit of a specialist trade, and there are shops specialising in making lanterns.

I am sure there are larger manufacturers in the city, don’t get me wrong – but there also seems to be a healthy trade for small family-owned businesses to thrive.

They have a process which seems to work. First the frame is constructed from cutting, binding and bending bamboo. Then cloth is cut and stuck over the frame. The process is simple but effective!

Plus, this makes the lanterns retractable. By unbending the bamboo, they can be straightened out. It makes them compact and less likely to break – perfect for backpackers and vacationers visiting the city.

Lantern classes in Hoi An

Given how many lanterns are in Hoi An, it’s no surprise that many people buy them as a souvenir. There are lots of gorgeous options to choose from, which you can buy from souvenir shops and market stalls.

However, you can also make your own lanterns during your visit. This is what I did.

To do this, we went to the Lantern Lady, who has a workshop down a little alleyway near the river. You can make your own lantern on a drop-in basis. They have helpers which walk around providing instructions and helping you with the next steps.

We thought the structure of the Lantern Lady worked well, with its informal nature meaning you can start making your lantern at any time. It helps that the prices are reasonable too.

That being said, there are multiple shops offering lantern classes in Hoi An, so take a look around; there might be one that’s better suited to you.

Choosing our lantern

When we arrived at the Lantern Lady, we were given a few options. We had to decide how tall we wanted our lantern to be (20 or 30 cm). We also had to decide whether we wanted to make the lantern from a pre-assembled frame, or if we wanted to make our frame ourselves.

As we only had a small backpack, Lou and I chose the 20 cm size. We wanted to do the full process, so we chose to assemble the frame ourselves. To make the frame for a 20 cm lantern, it cost 140,000 dong ($5.50 / £4.30).

We also had to decide what shape of lantern we wanted: Hoi An style, upside down, diamond or circular. I chose Hoi An style, whilst Lou chose upside down.

Assembling the frame

To make the frame, we were given bamboo which had been cut into strands and strung onto wire. They’d been cut so that they included sections of thinner bamboo, which are designed to bend to match the style we wanted.

We had to separate and bend the bamboo so that it fitted into top and bottom lantern holders. The making of these bamboo strands and holders looked like the difficult part, so this felt just like assembly!

We also had to tie string around the centre of each bent section to keep it in place, so that the lantern didn’t warp.

At this point, our lantern looked like a lantern, sans the pretty material. It was put over a metal frame which allowed it to be retracted and pulled out, which was quite exciting.

Covering it with fabric

At this point, we got to choose what fabric we wanted to cover our lantern with. There were options for patterned and plain fabrics – there was also the option to pay extra to paint the lanterns, which looked so cute but would’ve been way above my ability level!

Lou and I both picked a patterned see-through fabric with a silky look. Lou went for a blue and green cloth, whilst mine was red and orange.

To cover the frame, we painted a layer of glue on each of the bamboo spokes, then gently pulled, secured and trimmed a piece of fabric to each side. Getting each piece to lie straight without wrinkles was a challenge.

At one stressful point, as I was trimming the fabric away from the lantern, I accidentally cut through one of the strings, which would’ve warped the frame. Fortunately, one of the helpers fixed it for me beautifully…

Finishing off

Once it was covered, we covered the joining of the lantern at the top and bottom with a ribbon fabric. Some people chose to go for an accent colour, but both Lou and I chose a ribbon which matched the main fabric we used.

We then added a tassel to the lantern, they were available in a range of colours and looked so pretty all hung up! I chose orange and Lou chose green, which nicely matched our respective colour schemes.

At  last, we had a complete lantern. I was super happy with mine turned out. The red and orange colours matched the vibrancy of the lanterns hanging throughout Hoi An, so it made for a fitting souvenir.

When we hung the lanterns with a light, they looked quite different, with the light picking out different hues in the fabric.

In total, the process of making our lanterns took us 2.5 hours – an hour longer than the advertised time of 90 mins. I think 90 mins wouldn’t be achievable for most people and 2 to 3 hours would be better.

Conclusion

The lanterns of Hoi An are so beautiful and add an ambience to the city. I loved making my own lantern to take home. Now I have a little piece of Vietnam hanging up in my house to remind me of the memories I made in the city.

I’d recommend trying it out if you have some spare time when visiting Hoi An. The process is enjoyable and classes aren’t too expensive. If I ever go back to Vietnam, I’d definitely do this again!

Would you want to make a lantern in Hoi An? What design would you pick? Let me know in the comments!

For more on Hoi An, check out my complete guide to the city, or my list of the top things to do whilst you’re there.