Hoi An lantern-making workshop guide: compare 6 top studios by address, price, group size, and duration to find the best fit for your Vietnam itinerary.

Sapo: Making a lantern by hand is one of the few Hoi An activity that works equally well for a solo backpacker, a family with kids, or an MICE group looking for a team-building icebreaker. Prices, group sizes, and formats vary a lot between providers, so this list breaks down six workshops worth knowing, what each one costs, and who each is best suited for.

1. The Lantern Lady (Thuy)

  • Address: 09A Pham Hong Thai, Hoi An
  • Best for: Solo travelers, couples, and walk-in visitors with no fixed schedule
  • Price: 90,000 to 250,000 VND (roughly $4 to $10.50) per person
  • Duration: Flexible, meet anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Tucked down a small alley near the Old Town, Thuy’s studio has built a loyal following almost entirely through word of mouth rather than advertising. No booking is required, though emailing ahead helps confirm the best time to show up if you’re traveling with a group. Visitors can choose between covering a pre-made bamboo frame with silk fabric or, with advance notice, building the frame from scratch. It’s consistently one of the cheapest options in Hoi An, which makes it popular with backpackers and families watching their budget.

Family at The Lantern Lady Hoi An lantern making workshop

2. Hoi An Handicraft Tours

  • Address: 08 Tran Cao Van, Hoi An
  • Best for: Travelers who want the fullest, most complete lantern-making process
  • Price: 250,000 to 380,000 VND (roughly $10 to $16) per person
  • Duration: Sessions run daily between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.

Founded by siblings who took over the family business from their grandfather, this workshop is one of the highest-rated lantern experiences in Hoi An, with thousands of positive reviews on major booking platforms. What sets it apart is that every participant assembles the bamboo frame from raw materials rather than starting with a pre-shaped structure, so the class runs longer but delivers a more hands-on result. The long daily operating window also makes it easier to slot into a packed itinerary.

Travelers with lanterns at Hoi An Handicraft Tours workshop

3. Lantern Making Class With Lynn

  • Address: 8/6 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Hoi An
  • Best for: Small private groups wanting a quieter, more personal setting
  • Price: 300,000 VND (roughly $12.50) per person
  • Duration: 2 hours, held between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

This is a smaller-scale, reservation-based class led by an instructor with over a decade of experience teaching international travelers. Because sessions run within a fixed morning window rather than all day, it suits travelers who can plan ahead, including small groups who want a more intimate class without other visitors coming and going. Lynn shares the cultural history behind lantern-making alongside the hands-on steps, which adds useful context for guests interested in the craft’s background.

Group finishing lanterns at Lynn's Hoi An workshop class

4. Reaching Out Lantern Workshop

  • Address: 103 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An
  • Best for: Travelers and MICE groups who want a socially responsible activity
  • Price: Rates vary by group size; confirm directly with the workshop
  • Duration: Typically 1 to 1.5 hours

Reaching Out is a social enterprise that trains and employs people with disabilities, and lantern-making is one of several craft workshops it runs alongside its well-known silk-embroidery and homeware workshop. Beyond the craft itself, this makes it a strong option for corporate or MICE groups looking for an activity with a genuine community-impact story to share, something that fits naturally into CSR-focused travel programs.

Travelers making lanterns at Reaching Out Hoi An workshop

5. Premium Lantern Workshop with Herbal Tea (OTA-bookable)

  • Address: Meeting point confirmed after booking, central Hoi An
  • Best for: Travelers who want a relaxed, unhurried session with instant online booking
  • Price: Around $16 to $17 per person
  • Duration: 2 hours

Bookable through major activity platforms, this option runs at a slightly higher price point but includes a complimentary herbal tea and a more paced, workshop-style setting where guests choose their own fabric and colors. Because it’s bookable online with instant confirmation, it’s a convenient add-on for travelers finalizing their Hoi An schedule close to arrival, and easy for agents to pre-book as a confirmed slot rather than a walk-in activity.

Visitors enjoying tea at a premium Hoi An lantern workshop

6. Tra Que Village and Lantern Making Half-Day Combo

  • Address: Hotel pickup arranged in Hoi An; visits Tra Que Vegetable Village before the lantern class
  • Best for: Travelers who want to pair lantern-making with a countryside experience in one outing
  • Price: Around $11 to $17 per person
  • Duration: Half-day (approximately 4 to 5 hours, including hotel transfer)

This combo tour bikes guests out to Tra Que Village for a short hands-on farming activity before returning to Hoi An for the lantern class, making it a practical option when a single stand-alone workshop feels too short to fill a half-day slot. For itinerary planners, this format is useful for filling a morning or afternoon block without needing to coordinate two separate bookings.

Traveler making a lantern during Tra Que Village combo tour

Which One Should You Choose?

If budget and flexibility matter most, The Lantern Lady is hard to beat. If the goal is the fullest hands-on process, Hoi An Handicraft Tours delivers the most complete version of the craft. For small groups wanting privacy, Lynn’s class is the better fit, while Reaching Out adds a meaningful social angle that resonates well with CSR-conscious corporate groups. Travelers who prefer instant online booking will find the premium tea-included option most convenient, and anyone wanting to combine lantern-making with a countryside outing should look at the Tra Que Village combo.

Matching the right workshop to a client’s travel style, whether that’s a fast-paced FIT trip, a family holiday, or a MICE program with a CSR component, is exactly the kind of local detail that’s easier to get right with a ground partner on the ground in Vietnam. Viet Dan Travel DMC works directly with local artisans and activity operators across Vietnam to build these experiences into itineraries with confirmed timing and group logistics. Reach out to add a Hoi An lantern-making workshop to your next Vietnam program.