Tourists enjoy celebrating Christmas in Hanoi: "There are Santa Clauses everywhere"

Many Western visitors are excited because there are many Santa Clauses all over the streets of Hanoi. They walk along the streets and say “Merry Christmas” to all the Vietnamese children.

On the evening of December 24, the weather in Hanoi was about 16 degrees Celsius, people still flocked to the Cathedral (Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem), where Christmas carols and Mass were held at night.

From 6:00 p.m., a stream of people began to flock to the Cathedral area, and neighboring roads such as Nha Chung, Au Trieu, Hang Bong, and Hang Trong were all congested for a long time.

Christmas Eve atmosphere inside Ham Long church (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi).

Many foreign tourists do not hesitate to join the “sea of people” moving to the Cathedral. They often choose locations far from the center, with the advantage of height, Western guests can comfortably stand in a small corner to watch the panoramic view of the crowd, enjoying Christmas in their own way.

Anton King (Malaysian) came to Hanoi for a 7-day trip . The male tourist said he was very happy to celebrate Christmas with his daughter in a new country. Christmas in Hanoi is both crowded and brightly lit on the streets but also very warm.

Foreign tourists enjoy taking photos with Vietnamese Santa Claus. Mr. Dung (Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi) wore a Santa Claus costume to the Cathedral to take photos and congratulate everyone on Christmas.

“I was very happy when many foreign tourists asked to take photos with me. I introduced myself as Vietnamese and thanked them for staying in Vietnam to celebrate Christmas,” Mr. Dung shared.

Western tourists “join the custom” to celebrate Christmas in Vietnam with simple hobbies such as eating snacks on the sidewalk, drinking coffee, drinking draft beer on the sidewalk, and quietly watching the flow of people going to celebrate Christmas.

Many tourists said they were impressed with the costumes of Vietnamese young people, their clothes and accessories are very colorful and unique.

John (on the left, 30 years old, American nationality), shared: “Celebrating Christmas in a tropical country is a wonderful thing. The atmosphere is very crowded, I had difficulty moving because there were so many people. But Vietnamese people are very friendly, making me feel cozy.”

John also said he met a lot of Santa Clauses on the streets, some had big bellies and others were very skinny. In his country, Santa Claus doesn’t appear on the streets that much.

Sarah’s family (American nationality) celebrates Christmas for the first time in an Asian country.

“I’m really happy and excited to celebrate Christmas with my relatives in Hanoi. Here, we can drink Vietnamese beer, eat dishes like spring rolls, chicken feet… Truly Vietnamese people.” friendly and open.

Everyone’s enthusiastic welcome helps me feel welcomed and less homesick for my family and homeland. For me, this is a different Christmas season,” Sarah shared.