Hoi An Lune Center (Teh Dar bamboo circus)

Hoi An Lune Center is the town's most distinctive evening venue. It is a theatre built as a bamboo dome inspired by a rising full moon, a symbol of harmony and completeness, and it stands at 1A Nguyen Phuc Chu Street where the Hoai and Thu Bon rivers meet, a short walk across the river from the old town.

The building is impressive in its own right. The spherical dome measures 24.5 metres in diameter and 13 metres high, covering 470 square metres, and inside a round stage is surrounded by 299 semi-circular seats that rise in tiers like an amphitheatre. The tiered, in-the-round layout means the audience surrounds the performers on all sides.

The resident production is Teh Dar, a bamboo circus that combines acrobatic choreography with live music inspired by the traditions of Vietnam's ethnic minorities, especially those of the Central Highlands. The name means going in circles in the K'Ho language, a reference to the continuity of the region's many cultures. Performances open with gongs, T'rung bamboo xylophones, horns and elephant drums, and the troupe has toured several countries abroad with the production. Lune Production, the company behind the show, also stages bamboo circus productions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Shows start at 18:00 daily except on Mondays and Fridays, so check the day before you plan your evening. Tickets come in three price tiers, named aah, ooh and wow, and they can be bought through the Lune Production website or its call centre. The early start leaves time for dinner afterwards on the An Hoi side or back in the old town.

Teh Dar suits families with older children, couples and anyone looking for an evening of contemporary performance rooted in Vietnamese culture. There is no need to understand Vietnamese, as the show is told through movement and music.

Combine the show with a walk through Hoi An Night Market on nearby Nguyen Hoang Street or a riverside dinner at Mango Mango, on the same street at number 45. For bookings and questions, Lune Production publishes a call centre number that also works on Zalo.