How do people celebrate Christmas in Saigon, Vietnam? In this episode I chat about how people celebrate this holiday and what to expect if you visit at this time of year. Being a primarily Buddhist country, Christmas is not as an important celebration as the Lunar New Year or Tet. In fact, technically Christmas isn't a holiday at all, so if it falls during the work week, everyone goes about their regular business. Most people that live in the greater Ho Chi Minh City area do like to go out and view all of the lights and decorations at shopping malls, walking streets, and view nativity scenes in front of churches. Officially 8% of the population is Christian but it could be slightly higher with 7% being Roman Catholica and 1% Protestant. Christmas Eve is traditionally the time when locals celebrate Christmas. Visiting the Notre Dam Cathedral, Nguyen Hue and Bui Vien Walking Streets are some of the favorite places to hang out. As I mentioned in this episode, although you'll see people out and about taking pictures around Christmas trees, the true spirit or energy that you would be accustomed to at home will be lacking. But, so will the shopping frenzy, the disgruntled customers in long line-ups and so on.
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