Xmas in Vietnam

At first glance it would seem that Christmas is quite popular in Vietnam. The above picture was taken at a bus terminal. I was not expecting there to be shops selling Christmas decorations all over. It seems like every coffeeshop in Da Lat (at least those that are catering somewhat to westerners) had a Christmas tree up. 

According to a 2009 census, this is the breakdown of religion in Vietnam:

• Non religious, 80.8%
• Buddhism, 9.3%
• Christianity, 7.2%
• Roman Catholic, 6.7%
• Protestant, 0.5%
• Hòa Hảo, 1.5%
• Cao Đài, 1.1%

With a population of around ninety million, that's ~6.5 million Christians. 

According to an expat that I spoke to, very few people here are actually interested in the holiday. There is a lot of decoration, and they enjoy the commercial aspect and fun of it, but the day itself is not celebrated. As it grows closer to Christmas I am seeing more and more. On my way into Hoi An I even saw a couple of guys dressed up as Santa Claus outside of toy shops.

This one is from a nice little coffeeshop in Da Lat:

I won't be in the country to see it myself. When this posts I will be in Siem Reap in Cambodia. Emily invited me to join her and a few of her kiwi friends there for the holiday. The weather in Central and Northern Vietnam is not great right now. Fairly cold, but more importantly, lots and lots of rain. So, I'm rerouting to see Cambodia and some beautiful beaches. It would be a shame to come back from this trip without a tan, right?