Vietnamese Silk Lantern

Get an authentic Vietnamese Silk Lantern, made by hand in Central Vietnam in Hoi An.
Each sale of a lantern helps support the local artists in Hoi An and helps fund future travels.

Generally speaking, a Vietnamese Silk Lantern will come in three main sizes, 30″, 40″ or 45″ inches. However, there is an endless rainbow of colors and patterns. Please specify a few color choices when checking out. If not color choices are sent, I will pick a great color for you. 🙂

Proceeds from each sale go towards helping many local artists. From the Bamboo cutter to the silk maker, to the lantern designer, and helps to keep this web page running.

* The Price of Shipping is included in the order price (Unless you are shipping is someplace crazy, then let’s talk, perhaps I can hand deliver it)

Authentic Hand Crafted Vietnamese Silk Lantern

The silk lantern is a symbol of good luck, elegance, charm and just so darn pretty to look at. Introduced in the 1600 century by the Japanese, here in Hoi An, Vietnam the lantern has become a cultural icon and renowned over the world for their quality and colorful creativity.

Every Lantern is:

Made by Hand from Vietnamese Artists

Price Includes Shipping

You can pick the color (*Write me for costom colors)

Making and Shipping takes time (up to a month or more if you are far away)

VietnamSilkLantern long » Roaming Sparrow » 2024

A little History of the Vietnamese Silk Lantern

The history of lanterns in Vietname stretches back many years and over different cultures. The Chinese first developed this style of the lantern by splitting bamboo and covering it with paper to protect the flame from the wind. Later the Japanese barrowing the idea from the Chinese and used colors to designated locations, they named the lanterns “chōchin”. Then the Vietnamese taking the paper “chōchin” lantern from the Jappines and started making them silk. They added their own flair and style and over the last few hundred years made it a staple of tradition and culture.

How are these Lanterns made

The process starts with Bamboo. Outside of Hoi An, local artists gather the baboo from sustainable forests. They select the straight and long stalks then split it into many smaller rods. These rods are then assembled together with a wooden top, and metal stays in the center.

The Silk for the Lanterns

The Silk is perhaps the most important part of the lantern, and what gives it the colorful magic feeling you will love. Silk was first developed by the Chinese. The story goes that the Chinese Empress Si-Ling around in or around BC 2600, held the title of “The Goddess of the Silkworm”. As is the story, She (Si-Ling) discovered silk when one day a silk cocoon fell into her tea. The heat from the tea loosened the strands. After this (Si-Ling) apparently designed the first silk look and raised silkworms.

After this, the Japanese started to use since to further the production of silk and created some of the wolds best silk. Then when Vietnam was under Jappines rule, the Vietnamese people learned this craft and applied it to their art.

All the silk used is produced locally here at the Silk Village.

The lantern artists will go to the village and selects the colorful bolts of fresh silk to use. They then take the silks back to their shops to start the handcrafted process of making the lantern.

Vietnamese Silk Lantern and their meanings

Color plays an important roll in life here. Some colors are good luck, some are used to attract fortune or celebrate a festival. Such as in the Mid-autumn festival of Tet Trung Thu where you will find many white Lanterns.

Here are some basic meanings. But don’t let this stop you from getting your favorite color!

  • Yellow : wealth, prosperity, royalty, happiness, change
  • Red : happiness, love, luck, celebration
  • Blue : calmness, hope, growth
  • Green : jealousy, lust
  • White : purity, death, the end
  • Black : evil
  • Purple : nostalgia, sadness, fragility, tenderness

Sparrow thoughts:

When you buy a hand made silk lantern from Vietnam, you are supporting many local artists who have this as their only sorce of income. You are also helping to support this web page and the countuning journey roaming sparrow to document the wounders of this world in photos.

Should you have any questions, or would like to make a custom order, or just curious to learn more, contact me.

Tim on a Rock
Tim on a Rock
Roaming Sparrow is a project by Tim Mack. It is a life on the road, an adventure to gain knowledge and share genuine experiences.
Find some great experences, check out Viator!

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