HỘI AN — The ancient town will host the Hội An International Lantern Festival on December 3-6, displaying different spaces for lantern craft, cultural and artistic exchange activities, exhibitions, traditional dialogue and a design competition.

The Hội An World Heritage Conservation Centre said the festival, entitled Hội An-Colours of Heritage, will promote one of the most typical crafts of Hội An, while offering an opportunity for local artists to create unique designs and decorations.

Lanterns are used to decorate the ancient town every weekend, but most households living in the Old Quarter also light up their houses and shops with colourful lanterns.

The historic town of Hội An, which has officially become a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the Crafts and Folk Art category, has preserved the craft since the 17th century, and more than 30 workshops with 200 households are still making lantern today.

Last year, Hội An lantern decoration won the first prize at the Eastern Light Festival in Hưng Yên Province.

The centre said there are 1,700 households and 685 small-scale enterprises engaged in crafts and the performance of folk arts with an approximately 4,000 labourers and craftsmen.

Lantern making and other traditional crafts serve as a significant source of livelihood for numerous families and craftspeople, including carpentry, terra-cotta, bamboo work, nipa-palm processing, garment production, and leather crafting.

In the past years, the Hội An lantern festival was organised in Wernigerode, the twin town, in Germany as part of various activities in celebration of the friendship of the two cities. — VNS