I have decided to do a separate blog about Christmas in Vietnam as it has been such a surreal experience. Firstly I have to point out that most Vietnamese people do not celebrate Christmas – it is mainly celebrated by the minority groups many of whom are Catholic. Therefore as we were travelling through the Central Highlands which is the area predominated by minority groups we got to see firsthand how they celebrate.

We had seen some decorations in Thu Dau Mot – a few Christmas trees, tinsel and decorations - but nothing prepared us for the sights we were going to see. In the city areas it seems that Christmas decorations are put up for the benefit of foreigners not because they have any belief in Christmas per se. However in the highlands it is a different story. It would seem that many Christians reside in these areas and I am told that during and after the "war" they moved to these areas to avoid persecution and have continued to abide by their faith.

I have never seen so many kitsch Christmas decoration covering churches and houses in my life. Not just a little nativity scene here and there....oh no......I am sure there is no aluminium foil left in the country as it has all been used to make huge nativity scenes. There seems to be a belief that bigger is better!!!

It was as if each place of worship were trying to outdo each other in their number and size of decorations. If it was kitsch during the daytime then trust me the night was a sight to behold. A veritable technicolour of lights glistening and flashing like a disco!!

Christmas mass in Buon Ma Thuot was attended by thousands of parishioners. I was told that many people had travelled miles to attend church in the city and tht this was a common practice in country areas. Initially they were surprised to see foreigners attending but soon accepted us as part of their Christian community. Truly it lifted us immensely – probably more than if we had been in a Western country where freedom of choice is taken for granted.

I feel privileged that I was able to celebrate the Christian side of Christmas with so many wonderful people. It was just a pity that the Christian spirit did not spread to other areas of the community and therefore we were left feeling quite dejected when refused entry to the Christmas dinner at the only decent restaurant in town which happened to be inside the only 4 star hotel. It would appear that you had to be a guest actually residing in the hotel to be allowed to attend the dinner.........oh well...like Mary and Joseph who were denied access to the inn...we left and headed out into the dark night in the hope of finding solace. Unlike them we did not find any guiding light to send us to a place of happiness........we ended up in our hotel room drinking whisky to drown our sorrows.

If nothing else I can put this one down to being the worst but also the most unforgettable Christmas ever!!! Enjoy the pictures of Christmas in Vietnam!!!!

Bye for now . xxxx