At night, wishes come true in Hoi An

The night of the full moon - For the Vietnamese it is a night of traditions, honouring their ancestors. Temples are set up and offerings are made in the form of food and flowers. On this particular night, you will find Hoi An at its most beautiful.

The entire town is prepared during the day and you will see people putting up lanterns in every little corner. The excitement for the night starts at noon, when many tourists find their way into the city centre. Countless restaurants are filled with people waiting for the magic to begin.

At around 9pm, it starts to get dark outside. Slowly, all the lanterns are turned on, there are offerings spread around the city and the first tourists set out to buy their own paper lantern.

As it gets darker, the city turns into a magical place. On the river, hundreds of lanterns flicker as they float towards the ocean. Each one was set into the water with a wish. Traditional Vietnamese songs are sung and you can watch martial arts along the riverside.

Tourists from all over the world gather each month to be part of the lantern festival. The night market on the other side of the river was buzzing. We decided it was time for a snack an tried a delicious Vietnamese pizza.

Of course, we had to get our own paper lanterns as well. We chose our favourite colours and went down to the water. As the other lanterns were passing, I closed my eyes and made my own wish. It was time to let my little light flow and go its way.

This night, I will never forget.

Yes, it is crowded but trust me, it's magical.

And who knows, maybe your wish will come true.