Ironic Christmas in Vietnam!
Christmas is becoming the common holiday nowadays,
celebrated on the night 24th of December until the next day even though it has
not been the official day in Vietnam.
Typically, during this time, Christmas trees are everywhere fully decorated
with a lot of strings of lights and lovely ornaments as the other countries
where Xmas is concerned as the big national holiday. The cozy and fancy
Vietnamese Christmas time can be caught quite soon at the end of November.
Every department store and even small shop at the corner is all decorated
gorgeously. Christmas songs and the attractive colors of Noel, red, white and
green cover the whole atmosphere, which makes the city more beautiful and
lively. You can amble down to the main streets and see a lot of “standing
selling spots” where many lovely cards, ornaments and “Noel Hats” are sold
along the line.
To Vietnamese, Christmas is more a lively relaxing and
enjoyable holiday, when the lovers exchange gifts and spend time together, when
the children eager to meet Mr. Santa Clause, when the families are together,
have festive dinner and party, karaoke. Vietnamese really love karaoke and it
is almost a part of activities in every party or holiday. As usual, the
children will write a letter to Santa Claus, then leave their stockings by
their besides and go to sleep. When they wake up in the morning, they realize
that Father Christmas has come and filled their stockings with presents.
Somehow, this is not a traditional way to do in Vietnam. Group is Catholic or
Christian religion, they go to church and celebrate at home or eat out in the
restaurant, give gifts to their children. Uniquely, instead of the image of Santa Clause riding reindeers, you will meet a lot of
Santa Clauses here driving scooters along the street and ring the bell to let
everybody know Christmas time is coming. That thing makes the night be more
special and children are more impatient to meet Santa Claus and receive gifts
from him. 
The young have their own ways to celebrate on this
day, are the time to go shopping, party with friends and hang out in pubs, bar,
or on the streets. For them, this is the chance to wander around, make friends
and have fun on the roads shining full of tinsel. Especially, everybody from
everywhere will gather up to the “Cathedral church” in the center overnight at
Christmas Eve. People just chill out, fool around with friends, and sing
together. Even more, Vietnamese love Christmas songs, specifically “Feliz
Navidad”. The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the night air. We do not
have snow in Vietnam,
but we still feel snow everywhere and the richness of people’s souls. Particularly,
Christmas time in Ho Chi Minh City, along to the ”Foreigner’s hub” as Pham Ngu
Lao, Bui Vien, De Tham in the ”District 1”, the atmosphere spreads across each road and
people’s face. It seems that Christmas is approachable everywhere, and
everybody can feel it, the magic of Christmas story which has been in their
mind from the childhood.
How interesting and peculiar it is to spend Christmas
without winter jacket and the cold. More than anything else, the peace here and
friendliness are the things that you would feel about Vietnam.
Hospitality, which is the fervor of the foreigners’ first coming or already
stay in Vietnam for short or long time, and even more genuine at Christmas –
night of peace and wish.
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