Life in Vietnam: What Christmas Looks Like When You’re Living Abroad
It’s beginning to look a lot, like that time of year, commonly known as Christmas…
And here in Vietnam — Vietnam which is officially an atheist state with nearly 75% of people claiming ‘no religion’, whilst the majority of the rest are Buddhists — Santa is everywhere. Decorations are everywhere. Christmas is everywhere! But then, of course, so are tourists and travellers from the West, so it makes sense that the locals have embraced it as a secular celebration.
Christmas in Vietnam
This is the first Christmas that we are spending as a family outside of the UK, living abroad in Vietnam, and I think I can honestly say that our general reaction can best be described as “meh”. I’m not bothered; R is not bothered, E and e are slightly bothered, of course, but they’re also well-balanced young people. Basically, they’re thinking of the lack of presents. We have got them one small gift each, but hey - we’re in Vietnam! That’s their gift, although I might stretch to one Christmas bánh mì each if they like.
As for myself, I”m not really thinking of it as Christmas — hard to when I’m wearing shorts and sweating through at least one T-shirt every day — and simply just one year where that particular period gets muted, rather than completely wiped-out. I think it would be worse to go whole-hog and get a tree, decorations, and basically emulate what we do in the UK and try and make it the same, because it is not the same. And, as I was saying to E and e this morning, it’s also a question of perspective: to have one Christmas out of the UK and away from the ‘standard’ traditions that everyone is aware of if not takes part in is nothing, in the long-run, and something to look back on in years to come, as it will inevitably stand-out. I have fond memories of Christmases growing up, but I’ll be buggered if I can properly remember more than a handful before the age of twelve or so, and roughly the same from that age to adulthood. Traditions and routine are safe and comforting, but inevitably blend into one another: how many summer holidays from school can you remember, for instance? And of course, when I say ‘one’ Christmas outside of the UK, I don’t know what the future will bring, and what other travels we will venture on (one of our festive traditions is to watch Home Alone, and I for one would love to have one Christmas in the US, with proper snow and a neighbourhood full of over-the-top decorations, perhaps with two bungling burglars trying to break-in, and-and-and — although that is probably just ‘90s nostalgia).
I overheard one mum a few weeks’ back talking about Christmas plans, and how in a previous year (with the context of being abroad for Christmas Day), she had spent large portions of the day weeping. No judgement, but I find that OTT. Okay, some judgement. Basically, it’s not for us. I love Christmas (a new book, a large box of shortbread and warm socks, that’s me sorted. And some chocolate, of course), but I’m more than willing to wipe one from the slate, one from over (just over) forty, for the sake of this adventure. It’s still Christmas Day, and I’m sure that a lot of travellers, expats, immigrants — whatever they class themselves as — will be celebrating in as similar way to how they would do in the UK as possible, but for us it’s pretty-much just going to be Thursday.
Except that I’ve already picked-out my shortbread box from the Vietnamese ‘mart’ shop on the corner.
Hope it’s in date…
