The Hoi An People's Committee organized the parade to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival. The parade began with the moon hanging high in the sky, and the procession marched along the town's main streets: Tran Phu, Bach Dang and Le Loi.
Several foreigners could be seen in the crowd watching the parade, and some were even sporting Vietnamese traditional dress ao dai and holding star lanterns in hand.
Some foreign tourists said they had a "very exciting" experience watching the parade and the lion dance performances.
Foreigners watch the parade from both sides of the street.
At 8 p.m., the rain came, causing the parade to die down a bit. Several stores were closed and certain areas experienced blackouts. Nevertheless, many tourists were happy to walk through the rain of Hoi An.
Light sculptures of the four mystical beasts – dragon, lion, turtle and phoenix – are carried through town by the parade.
Walking behind the sculptures were performers and different festival mascots. The beating drums electrified the air surrounding the parade.
Performers stopped at intersections every once in a while to demonstrate their art for those who had come to watch the parade.
A team of lion dancers in the middle of their performance.
Hoi An shut off many of its streetlights for the festival in order to make room for the glow of traditional lanterns and the moon.
A fire breather performs on the streets of Hoi An as part of a sky dog performance. The sky dog is one of the town’s traditional mascots.
