Lantern light only

We are lucky enough to have arrived in Hoi An for the festival celebrating the anniversary of 2 September 1945 when Ho Chi Minh gave his Declaration of Independence. We’re not quite sure what, at that point, they were becoming independent from (possibly French colonial rule) but it sounds like a fine excuse to have a party every year. This time it falls on a full moon which has an added significance for the superstitious Vietnamese and the festivities are planned to last for several days. Already the preparations are in evidence with plenty of colourful lanterns being made in local shops and Vietnamese tourists arriving in large numbers.
Later the on-stage singing is dreadful – to my ears anyway – but the floating restaurant and beautiful candle lanterns strewn all over the river are fantastic. The atmosphere is electric and for our great pleasure, for one night only, they’ve stopped motor bike traffic down the main streets and banned fluorescent strip lights – only lanterns allowed. It makes a big difference to the feel of the place.
The pagodas are particularly atmospheric – the gaudiness of the Hindu offerings normally so grating is somehow tempered by the darkness, smoky air and crowds of people smiling.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 31st, 2004 at 10:39 am and is filed under Vietnam. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.