There are just two days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Those familiar with the image of the sparkling lantern street of Luong Nhu Hoc in HCMC's District 5 should note Hoi An ancient town as a destination to enjoy the festival in style.
From downtown Danang, tourists can take a two-way cab drive to Hoi An priced at VND510,000 for four guests. Hoi An, 27km from Danang, is a perfect venue to appreciate the peaceful and beautiful ancient architecture of China, Japan, Champa and Vietnam.
On the fourteenth day of each month, the ancient town will be lighted out except traditional lanterns sparkling at night. These lanterns made from bamboo with their covers of Ha Dong silk are suitable for decoration rather than lighting devices.
Tourists arriving in the ancient town are lost in a magical space under the shade of lanterns in numerous alleys featuring handicraft products, costumes, broidery pictures and stones. Especially, people visiting at this time can admire Hoai River and boats decorated with colorful lanterns. On the other side of the river is Nguyen Phuc Chu Street which is home to lots of bars and coffee shops luring guests with their Full Moon cocktail parties.
After a wonderful night wandering around the town, tourists can enjoy local specialties and street foods like cao lau (noodles served with pork and greens), com ga (chicken rice), hen banh da (mussels served with dry pancake) and che bap (corn sweet soup) or they can buy mung bean cake or peanut sweets for souvenirs.