pepu1908
Thanh viên kỳ cựu
The sweet-to-listen rhythm of “Joy to the World” and other Christmas carols is being played on various corners of HCMC, adding joy to homes and streets in this city where people have prepared themselves for celebrations to the fullest.
That’s the festive Christmas atmosphere that you, as international tourists away from home, can feel and experience in this thriving economic hub of Vietnam when the clock is ticking toward Christmas Eve and Day. On those days when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, all the major streets in the central business district are bright and crowded with people of all ages, especially young people who go out in couples, groups and families.
If you are the kind of person who finds pleasure in mingling with others out on the lit Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, Dong Khoi and Le Duan streets, go ahead with the celebration of your style and join the general public. Otherwise, you will have to wait a few days for the crowds to thin out to see HCMC in the peak of Christmas time if you do not want to walk inch by inch.
Every year, the main streets are overcrowded with citizens and visitors coming from parts of HCMC and even neighboring provinces to the city’s downtown area to marvel at the colored lights strung through the trees and the brightly decorated shopping malls, hotels and other buildings and to take pictures with Christmas trees, artificial snow houses and snowmen and Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. This Christmas season, the streets of HCMC are lit in different decorations featuring stars and especially poinsettia, also known as the Christmas flower that symbolizes the joyous red color of the Christmas season, holiness, strength, hope and cheer.
Visitors will find it easier to take pictures with the bright twinkling stars, the poinsettia and the Christmas trees if they are on the streets at dusk as the lights start to take effect and the crowd is not too big, giving more space to walk about and view the attractions.
It is great fun to take a leisurely walk along Dong Khoi from the Cathedral down to the Opera House and turn right to Le Loi and then keep going until you see the roundabout in front of HCMC’s landmark Ben Thanh Market. Nguyen Hue that cuts through Le Loi is a street of choice for walking during the Christmas season as this boulevard and buildings alongside it shine with numerous chains of lights in various colors and shapes.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and the coffee shop of the ancient Continental Hotel are among the best places to see and feel the Christmas ambience in HCMC as they both have open areas. The first overlooks the Cathedral. The second is by the city’s boutique shop street Dong Khoi and near the Opera House.
Some would argue that Christmas is not meaningful if it is without the crowds and the noise, and they would be right. However, being in the crowd is not to the liking of many people as they prefer celebrating the event in a quiet way. Again, remember not to walk the streets from 7 p.m. till 10 p.m. or later on Christmas Eve and Day if you do not like being pushed forward by the crowd and having to wander in the crowd. It is also difficult to get a seat at a coffee shop or restaurant around these hours if you do not make bookings in advance.
That’s the festive Christmas atmosphere that you, as international tourists away from home, can feel and experience in this thriving economic hub of Vietnam when the clock is ticking toward Christmas Eve and Day. On those days when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, all the major streets in the central business district are bright and crowded with people of all ages, especially young people who go out in couples, groups and families.
If you are the kind of person who finds pleasure in mingling with others out on the lit Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, Dong Khoi and Le Duan streets, go ahead with the celebration of your style and join the general public. Otherwise, you will have to wait a few days for the crowds to thin out to see HCMC in the peak of Christmas time if you do not want to walk inch by inch.
Every year, the main streets are overcrowded with citizens and visitors coming from parts of HCMC and even neighboring provinces to the city’s downtown area to marvel at the colored lights strung through the trees and the brightly decorated shopping malls, hotels and other buildings and to take pictures with Christmas trees, artificial snow houses and snowmen and Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. This Christmas season, the streets of HCMC are lit in different decorations featuring stars and especially poinsettia, also known as the Christmas flower that symbolizes the joyous red color of the Christmas season, holiness, strength, hope and cheer.
Visitors will find it easier to take pictures with the bright twinkling stars, the poinsettia and the Christmas trees if they are on the streets at dusk as the lights start to take effect and the crowd is not too big, giving more space to walk about and view the attractions.
It is great fun to take a leisurely walk along Dong Khoi from the Cathedral down to the Opera House and turn right to Le Loi and then keep going until you see the roundabout in front of HCMC’s landmark Ben Thanh Market. Nguyen Hue that cuts through Le Loi is a street of choice for walking during the Christmas season as this boulevard and buildings alongside it shine with numerous chains of lights in various colors and shapes.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and the coffee shop of the ancient Continental Hotel are among the best places to see and feel the Christmas ambience in HCMC as they both have open areas. The first overlooks the Cathedral. The second is by the city’s boutique shop street Dong Khoi and near the Opera House.
Some would argue that Christmas is not meaningful if it is without the crowds and the noise, and they would be right. However, being in the crowd is not to the liking of many people as they prefer celebrating the event in a quiet way. Again, remember not to walk the streets from 7 p.m. till 10 p.m. or later on Christmas Eve and Day if you do not like being pushed forward by the crowd and having to wander in the crowd. It is also difficult to get a seat at a coffee shop or restaurant around these hours if you do not make bookings in advance.
