Christmas in Vietnam is both exhilarating and confusing. You wonder why? Because it is just another day. Actually, Vietnam is an atheistic country; thus, nobody gets a day off this event. However, you still hear Christmas carols everywhere you set foot in and many companies put up elaborate decorations. Indeed, Christmas in Vietnam is more of a curiosity than a religious holiday as it originally is. If you plan to visit Vietnam during this event, why don’t you take a look at this article to get to know how the locals celebrate Christmas in Vietnam?
How Vietnam Christmas Celebrated in the North of Vietnam?
Buy Santa Outfits and Sing Carols
This event is a good time for shop owners to get more profits. It means that it is easy for you to find Christmas-themed items as the big day approaches. At Christmas, Vietnamese parents tend to buy Santa outfits for their kids or they hire a person wearing Santa Clause suit to come to their home and give their children an X-mas gift. Also, you can hear Christmas carols almost everywhere you go, even the holiday is not really celebrated. Even the locals do not understand the song, they still sing words like Jingle Bells, jingle bells…
Enjoy Feasts
Around Christmastime, many lavish restaurants put on special offers, giving buffets or set menus all western traditional favorites like turkey, ha, roast or even some delicious Vietnamese cuisine. All you need to do is just enjoy your happy time with hearty feasts.
Go Shopping
Obviously, you will not be getting presents under the Pinetree when you wake up on the Christmas morning, hence, why don’t you immerse yourself and head out to pick up something new. Christmastime is ideal for shopping and I am sure that you will like it.
How Vietnam Christmas Celebrated in the South of Vietnam?
In Ho Chi Minh City, people (especially the youth) like to go into the city center where there is a Catholic Cathedral located. During this time, the main streets are crowded with people on Christmas Eve and cars are not allowed for the night in the city.
The Vietnamese celebrate the event by throwing confetti, taking pictures and getting into the Christmas decorations as well as lights of big hotels and department stores. Many cafes and restaurants are open for people to enjoy a snack! Not many Vietnamese people are Christians; however, some people like to go to Midnight Mass services to watch the Nativity plays and hear Christmas music. All churches and some Christian homes will have a nativity crib scene or ‘creche’. Many Catholic churches have a big scene with nearly life-size statues of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the shepherds, and animals.
In some regions of Ho Chi Minh City, usually in Catholic parishes, people tend to have big crib scenes in front of their own houses as well as decorate the whole street that turning it into a Christmas area! These are prevalent for people to head to and look at the scenes.
So, this is all about “How Christmas is Celebrated in Vietnam”. If you have questions, feel free to contact Multi Country Asia Tours, we are always happy to help.