Decorators for the Christian festival Christmas are going up all over Hanoi, with the services of professional decorators in high demand throughout the capital.
Christmas tree and decoration
Christianity was brought to predominantly Buddhist Vietnam in the 16th century and strengthened its presence under French colonial rule, though the majority of Roman Catholic Christians moved to the south of the country after France was defeated in 1954 and withdrew from the country.
In recent years, young Vietnamese have been embracing Christianity, and its religious festivals, such as Christmas, which marks the purported birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 more than 2,000 years ago, have become increasingly popular among all religions.
Christmas is marked by gift giving among family and friends, and it is considered the highlight of the year for retailers. In Hanoi, major trade centres, such as Royal City, Lotte and Vincom Tower are decorated with snowflakes, brightly decorated Christmas trees, which are a symbol of the festival, colourfully wrapped gift boxes.
Also seen more on the streets this year are the jolly red-costumed character, Santa Claus, who contemporary mythology holds delivers presents to children while thy sleep on Christmas Eve. He is based on a Christian saint, Nicholas, who lived in what is now western Turkey and is reputed to have given gifts of food and clothing to orphaned and poor children.
Major hotels, such as the colonial-period Metropole in Hanoi's French Quarter, are brightly decorated with lights and dioramas, including on its western portico a giant Santa Claus in his sleigh, pulled by flying reindeer, which take him around the world from his mythical home in the North Pole.
Many small shops around the city have decorated their windows with ribbons and festive stickers.
Decorators this year are offering various kinds of package. Customers can just buy simple materials to do their own decorations, or they can hire the decorators for a full service, including customised 3-D dioramas.
A 90-centimetre Christmas tree costs VND247,000 (USD12) while a six-metre tree can cost up VND28,350,000.
Bui Danh, a shop owner in Hanoi, said, "I didn't used to decorate the shop for Christmas, but many shops are getting into the festive spirit so I can't be left out.
"I hope the decorations and a season discount will help attract more customers. Last year, I did everything on my own, but I hired professional this year to save time and effort."
