Dear Editor,

I experienced Christ-mas holiday celebration in four major cities on three continents – NY, Frankfurt (Germany), Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon, Vietnam). I have also experienced Christmas celebrations in many other cities and countries around the globe in recent years. Saigon’s is among the most, if not the most, spectacular Xmas celebration I encountered, and offers some comparison to the observance of Xmas in Guyana.

The people show the same kind of tolerance of Christmas as non-Christians do in Guyana.

For Vietnamese, it is a secular celebration as it is for Hindu and Muslim Guy-anese, but it is a gala event observed with vigour and fanfare.
The magnificence of Saigon’s celebration surprised me; it was the last place I expected to find people celebrating what is essentially a western holiday. Vietnam is officially a Socialist republic where religion, while tolerated, is not encouraged by the government, and in fact is viewed as an opium of the masses.  Most Vietnamese are Buddhists, but their many temples are appropriately decorated for the Xmas season.  Government buildings and almost every shop or hotel or office are also bedecked with Christmas paraphernalia, and there are Christmas trees, santas and lights everywhere.
Vietnam is a multi-cultural nation and the different religious groups live cordially.  Although Christmas is not a public holiday, all the religious and ethnic minorities take part, with shopping and entertainment at the top of the agenda.

Celebrants are out in the streets feting as they do in Guyana, and there is a massive number of people in the streets of downtown Saigon to take in the spectacular display of lights. Frankfurt, Singapore and NY are all brightly lit, but Saigon is in a different league. Also, there are parties and public concerts all over the city – something not observed anywhere else I travelled. Incidentally, I spent Christmas 2007 in Bangkok and thought it was one of the best holiday seasons I experienced until I visited Saigon.
For the New Year in Saigon, a wide range of activities, including countdown parties, concerts, performances, attractive shopping promotions and culinary treats are scheduled.

The multi-cultural celebration of the season by the different groups in places like Vietnam and Guyana is great for harmonious relations, especially at a time when there is so much conflict, and should be encouraged by the leadership of different groups worldwide.

Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram