Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays worldwide since it’s that time of the year when kids get excited about Santa Claus leaving several gifts under their Christmas trees. In this post, we’ll set out on an amazing journey to discover Vietnamese Christmas greetings that you can use to greet your friends!
Vietnam has a wide variety of religions— Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and more. Despite Christianity being one of the minority religious groups in the country and not having Christmas as their official holiday, they still celebrate this religious event. Well, who can say no to colorful Christmas decorations and gifts?
According to history, the French influence has brought this event to life in Vietnam. You’ll find the typical Virgin Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in several Catholic churches, showing the rich Christmas traditions of their religion. So when you visit the country during December, you might wonder how Vietnamese people greet each other during this season. Join us as we hunt for Vietnamese Christmas greetings that you can use!
List Of Vietnamese Christmas Vocabulary
Before we jump into these interesting and friendly greetings, let’s unlock some new words first. This vocabulary is related to Christmas words, are you ready?
| English | Vietnamese | Sound |
| Christmas | Giang sinh | |
| Snow | Tuyết | |
| Present | Quà tặng | |
| Snowman | Người tuyết | |
| Santa Clause | Ông già Nô en | |
| Stockings | Bít tất | |
| Candy Cane | Kẹo cây | |
| Fireplace | Lò sưởi | |
| Elf | Yêu tinh | |
| Bell | Chuông |
Basic Vietnamese Christmas Greetings
Aside from Christmas gifts, one thing that’s commonly received when you celebrate Christmas is greetings. It won’t hurt to greet someone with a happy Christmas during a festive occasion. Here we gathered the handiest words you can use on greeting cards!
1. Chúc Mừng Giáng Sinh (Merry Christmas)
A peaceful Christmas calls for good greetings like Chuc mung Giang Sinh which simply means “Merry Christmas” when translated into English. Greeting someone with this phrase extends your wishes for them to have a joyous event and remember Christ’s birth!
2. Chúc Bạn Ngày Lễ Kwanzaa Vui Vẻ! (Happy Kwanzaa!)
Have you heard of Kwanzaa? It’s a 7-day occasion celebrated by the African-American culture every 26th of December to 1st of January. This isn’t a religious event, but it’s an important holiday for them as it connects them to their roots and family. So if you want to greet your African-American friends, don’t forget to say Chúc Bạn Ngày Lễ Kwanzaa Vui Vẻ! (Happy Kwanzaa!)
3. Chúc Bạn Một kỳ Nghỉ đông Tuyệt Vời! (Have A Great Winter Vacation!)
Not all people celebrate Christmas, so this is one of the best and most thoughtful ways to greet them. However, you can’t really greet everyone this way, especially if they don’t have winter in their country!
4. Gửi Tới Bạn Những Lời Chúc ấm áp (Sending Warm Wishes)
If you want to add another phrase that’ll make people feel the holiday vibes better, you may simply send them best wishes for the season. It’s also a good way to greet someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, just like in the third phrase.
5. Hãy Tận Hưởng Những Ngày Nghỉ Lễ! (Enjoy The Holiday)
Do you have peers or co-workers who don’t celebrate Christmas? Well, don’t worry. We have another phrase that you can utilize to greet them. Note that saying “Enjoy the holidays” works for both non-religious and religious friends!
6. Chúc Bạn Kỳ Nghỉ Lễ Vui Vẻ! (Happy Holidays)
Some people can forget what “Merry Christmas” is in Vietnamese. So, the safest way to greet people would be by saying “Happy holidays.” You may notice that they’re very versatile when it comes to these greetings, so picking greeting cards for your friends won’t be as troublesome as you imagined.
Vietnamese Christmas Traditions
As mentioned before, not all Vietnamese are Christians or Catholics, but since they’re fun-loving individuals, they won’t pass on this joyous event. Here are ways how they celebrate Christmas in Vietnamese!
1. Visits Catholic Cathedral
Just like the typical way of celebrating Christmas, most Christians and young people visit Ho Chi Minh City. Here they’ll find the Nativity plays during the Midnight Mass. You wouldn’t miss the sound of Christmas songs since they’d also have it blasting on their speakers during the event!
2. Prepare Several Dishes
The biggest holiday call for great dishes. One of the staple meals for certain families during Christmas Eve is chicken soup, while wealthier groups prepare Christmas puddings and turkey. The food they prepare really depends on the family’s liking, but one of the most common desserts given to other people is the bûche de noël, it’s a chocolate cake roll designed like a log!
3. Throw Confetti
It’s quite a surprise to hear that they shower confetti at Christmas celebrations in Vietnam. There’s no apparent reason why they do this during this season. However, it’s a typical practice during Vietnamese weddings. They say that it depicts luck, fertility, and joy for the newly wedded pair.
4. Decorate Places
Many places, especially in the big city, have well-decorated stores. You’ll find various ornaments hanging on big pine trees, snowmen of different sizes, colorful lights, and of course, Santa Claus. You’ll find plenty of people taking pictures during this holiday. Coffee shops even offer different snacks that jive well with the cold season.
5. Leaving Shoes Outside
This is typically done by kids who are expecting to receive something from the big generous guy with red and white clothes. The idea of leaving their shoes outside first came from a practice in Europe that was eventually adopted in Vietnam. After Christmas Eve, children expect their shoes to be filled with goods like candies or toys.
6. Shopping Deals
You read that right, Christmas time also means that it is time to go for a haul! Every December 12 and January 1, people would go on a shopping spree looking for promos and deals that won’t drive them to get penniless.
7. City-Run Mega Parties
Going out and partying with your friends sounds like a great plan too. In the big cities in Vietnam like Hanoi, you’ll find people hosting these big events in which there would be performances, blasting music, and dancing! So, if this sounds fun to you, mark your calendars now. They even have this every New Year!
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