Christmas in Vietnam: Yule Love This!
Christmas in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
For this Empress, Christmas in the tropical south never quite held the same refinement and downright quirkiness experienced in Hanoi, as detailed in my previous chronicle, here , which, of course you've already read?
Here in Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon, the Christmas spirit has tended to err more on the Gin and Vodka varieties: some obscenely indulgent festive lunches washed-down with a tad too many cocktails in the city’s finest five-star hotel restaurants, or blurry festive nights in notorious nightspots like "Apocalypse Now" and "Lost in Saigon." As this Empress hasn’t set her well-pedicured foot in Hanoi since 2006, she is unable to make any comparisons, but Saigon does appear to have increasingly embraced Christmas and the festive season in a big way (albeit still no official public holiday celebrated here). Especially, the commercial way: that figures, as this is Vietnam’s largest, brashest metropolis and its economic and commerce epicentre, where money is King. Like retailers across the globe, shrewd locals here have cottoned-on to the fact that Christmas can be a nice little earner......
This flurry of festive commerce includes small stores and street stalls that suddenly pop-up a month before on downtown side-streets dedicated to Christmas paraphernalia (read: cheap tat): your best bet to grab last-minute essentials such as plastic baubles, miniature Christmas trees, flashing Santa hats or gaudy musical statuettes (like the hip-thrusting, gyrating Santa which no table centrepiece should be without). That is, if you can fight your way through the hordes of families stock piling
Let’s not forget, Saigon has a sizeable Christian population and with it too, two stunning major churches. The first one, 19th century Tan Dinh Catholic Church, named after the neighbourhood and resembling something out of a fairy-tale, rests in an expansive compound, where every year
Not surprisingly, all the city’s tourist / foreign-related hotels and businesses roll-out the generic Christmas trees with presents piled underneath and snowy scenes dusted over the windows each year. But what I find most surprising is the countless local Vietnamese businesses jumping-in on the spirit too, from the young sales staff wearing prerequisite reindeer antlers or Santa head gear in the bread shops, to the Vietnamese State Banks, where giant gingerbread men lurk in the front bushes. In my very "local" neighbourhood, even the seafood diners and non-Christian residences are plastered in gaudy decorations. The five-storey house opposite me pulsates with multi-coloured flashing fairy lights that post-dusk, resembles the Las Vegas strip (albeit you never know here, these may be primed for New Year celebrations, or simply displaying the city's near-on obsession for flashing lights).
Similar to Hanoi, there's a centre-stage Catholic church at play; here, the magnificent 19th century Notre Dame Cathedral with its own dazzling outdoor nativity scene and Christmas greetings.
Guarded by a ferociously territorial gatekeeper and concertina-like metal gates and with ongoing restoration work, even two weeks before the big day, unless you're a bona fide practicing Catholic, it’s near-on impossible to get anywhere near the Cathedral’s grand entrance. So once again, I imagine I would need some Heaven-sent influential pals to set foot in the inner courtyard, let alone attend the Christmas Eve Mass.
Here, similar to Hanoi, I’ve been guilty of staggering through the streets in my Santarina outfit, but rather than causing a near-riot like before, in Saigon, no one bats an eyelid and you simply blend into the background - it's all par the course.
Young vina girls wearing Santarina outfits for the ever-increasing ritual of pre-Christmas office parties, or Santa Claus street salesmen, etc. Most sightings however are saved for Christmas Eve night, when the city takes on a mad carnival atmosphere and practically every Saigon family hits the downtown streets on their motorbikes.
Kids adorably kitted-out in mini Santa Claus outfits are squashed between their excited parents, many heading Exocet missile-like to meet one of several Santas Claus' lurking on the jam-packed pavements dishing out Christmas gifts.
In the city's maddest di hoang gio night of all (see my November Chronicle, Do I Still Di Hoang Gio?), families cruise around soaking-up the Christmas festive fun for this one night only. Ironically they haven't got a clue about the true religious significance of this hallowed night and with so many out in force that the motorbike traffic grinds to a complete gridlock!
But fear not, as when it comes to twinkly festive lights, Saigon always sleighs-it!
And as usual, 'tis the city’s five-star hotels – like Park Hyatt, InterContinental and Sofitel Plaza – that have pulled all the stops out, with outrageously good Christmas trees indoors and endless fairy lights festooned in the real trees outside...
though few can match the Macy-like excesses of the Rex Hotel Saigon..... ....
And of course, Saigon’s sumptuously decorated department stores and malls, none more so than over-the-top, Nordic winter wonderlands that are Diamond Plaza and Saigon Centre. Closely resembling a home-grown Harrods of sorts, I hereby declare these the city’s leading beacons of festive extravaganzas!
Not surprisingly a hit with kids and locals, who flock in their droves to the brightest of lights, baubles and Santa's play dens to take de rigueur family selfies. Again, few probably understand the real meaning of Christmas, but if all this brings so many smiles to children’s faces, not to mention nostalgic memories of a land far, far away for wandering foreign souls (ahem, Empresses) like me, then all this yuletide glitz is worth it.
And that, dear readers, is the true spirit of Christmas!
This flurry of festive commerce includes small stores and street stalls that suddenly pop-up a month before on downtown side-streets dedicated to Christmas paraphernalia (read: cheap tat): your best bet to grab last-minute essentials such as plastic baubles, miniature Christmas trees, flashing Santa hats or gaudy musical statuettes (like the hip-thrusting, gyrating Santa which no table centrepiece should be without). That is, if you can fight your way through the hordes of families stock piling
Let’s not forget, Saigon has a sizeable Christian population and with it too, two stunning major churches. The first one, 19th century Tan Dinh Catholic Church, named after the neighbourhood and resembling something out of a fairy-tale, rests in an expansive compound, where every year
the makeshift cavernous Christmas grotto ensconced here reveals a most unholy-like “Christmas Deco’s-R-Us” - with flashing neon stars emblazoned with baby Jesus' face illuminating the open entrance.
There is however a more traditional-style - and tasteful - outdoor nativity scene at the rear.
And from mid-November, Christmas Carols – yule-tide favourites like “Jingle Bells” or “Good King Wenceslas” on speed or God-awful Vietnamese versions – blast through the city malls and major retail stores. Good yuletide taste prevails however, at places like Hotel Continental Saigon and their street-side cafe, where a local accordion player and violinist serenade guests with pared-down carols.
There is however a more traditional-style - and tasteful - outdoor nativity scene at the rear.
And from mid-November, Christmas Carols – yule-tide favourites like “Jingle Bells” or “Good King Wenceslas” on speed or God-awful Vietnamese versions – blast through the city malls and major retail stores. Good yuletide taste prevails however, at places like Hotel Continental Saigon and their street-side cafe, where a local accordion player and violinist serenade guests with pared-down carols.
Not surprisingly, all the city’s tourist / foreign-related hotels and businesses roll-out the generic Christmas trees with presents piled underneath and snowy scenes dusted over the windows each year. But what I find most surprising is the countless local Vietnamese businesses jumping-in on the spirit too, from the young sales staff wearing prerequisite reindeer antlers or Santa head gear in the bread shops, to the Vietnamese State Banks, where giant gingerbread men lurk in the front bushes. In my very "local" neighbourhood, even the seafood diners and non-Christian residences are plastered in gaudy decorations. The five-storey house opposite me pulsates with multi-coloured flashing fairy lights that post-dusk, resembles the Las Vegas strip (albeit you never know here, these may be primed for New Year celebrations, or simply displaying the city's near-on obsession for flashing lights).
Similar to Hanoi, there's a centre-stage Catholic church at play; here, the magnificent 19th century Notre Dame Cathedral with its own dazzling outdoor nativity scene and Christmas greetings.
Guarded by a ferociously territorial gatekeeper and concertina-like metal gates and with ongoing restoration work, even two weeks before the big day, unless you're a bona fide practicing Catholic, it’s near-on impossible to get anywhere near the Cathedral’s grand entrance. So once again, I imagine I would need some Heaven-sent influential pals to set foot in the inner courtyard, let alone attend the Christmas Eve Mass.
Here, similar to Hanoi, I’ve been guilty of staggering through the streets in my Santarina outfit, but rather than causing a near-riot like before, in Saigon, no one bats an eyelid and you simply blend into the background - it's all par the course.
Young vina girls wearing Santarina outfits for the ever-increasing ritual of pre-Christmas office parties, or Santa Claus street salesmen, etc. Most sightings however are saved for Christmas Eve night, when the city takes on a mad carnival atmosphere and practically every Saigon family hits the downtown streets on their motorbikes.
Kids adorably kitted-out in mini Santa Claus outfits are squashed between their excited parents, many heading Exocet missile-like to meet one of several Santas Claus' lurking on the jam-packed pavements dishing out Christmas gifts.
In the city's maddest di hoang gio night of all (see my November Chronicle, Do I Still Di Hoang Gio?), families cruise around soaking-up the Christmas festive fun for this one night only. Ironically they haven't got a clue about the true religious significance of this hallowed night and with so many out in force that the motorbike traffic grinds to a complete gridlock!
Apart from the above festive mayhem, my favourite Saigon Christmas memory are the totally twinkly and spectacular Christmas street lights dangling above the downtown streets of Dong Khoi and Le Duan – some of the loveliest I ever laid eyes on in all my world-wide travels. I used to pound the streets just to gaze up at them in wonder, like some excited five-year-old. But alas, this year, they are no more! Where did they go? Are the city authorities trying to save municipal funds? This cannot be happening on my glorious return!
But fear not, as when it comes to twinkly festive lights, Saigon always sleighs-it!
And as usual, 'tis the city’s five-star hotels – like Park Hyatt, InterContinental and Sofitel Plaza – that have pulled all the stops out, with outrageously good Christmas trees indoors and endless fairy lights festooned in the real trees outside...
though few can match the Macy-like excesses of the Rex Hotel Saigon..... ....
And of course, Saigon’s sumptuously decorated department stores and malls, none more so than over-the-top, Nordic winter wonderlands that are Diamond Plaza and Saigon Centre. Closely resembling a home-grown Harrods of sorts, I hereby declare these the city’s leading beacons of festive extravaganzas!
Not surprisingly a hit with kids and locals, who flock in their droves to the brightest of lights, baubles and Santa's play dens to take de rigueur family selfies. Again, few probably understand the real meaning of Christmas, but if all this brings so many smiles to children’s faces, not to mention nostalgic memories of a land far, far away for wandering foreign souls (ahem, Empresses) like me, then all this yuletide glitz is worth it.
And that, dear readers, is the true spirit of Christmas!
A MERRY & PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!
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