Saigon prepares for Christmas

Customers shop for Christmas decorations at a shop in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in HCMC’s District 5 - Photo: Thanh Truc

Everywhere you look, Saigon is busy decking out the streets with Christmas decorations and lights. Take a stroll along Ham Nghi, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Le Duan and Nguyen Hue and you will feel the festive air as the Yuletide approaches.

A strip of shops  in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in District 5 specialize in selling Christmas decorations with an extensive range in different colors and materials. Lengths of gold/silver tinsel cost about VND10,000–12,000, with the latest styles for VND17,000.  Boxes of six colorful Christmas baubles are priced from VND20,000 to VND30,000. The tinsel and baubles are the biggest sellers as they are compact and cheap. People are still watching the purse strings after the economic slowdown so they are looking for the best value they can find.

The Christmas trees displayed along Le Hong Phong Street in HCMC’s District 5 are also selling well. A medium size Christmas tree without decorations is about VND250,000 and from VND480,000 to VND700000 for decorated trees with Christmas baubles and tinsel.

Although the Christmas-decoration seller streets this year are quite busy, its been a bit slower than last year.

In some famous areas that sell Christmas products such as Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street (District 3), Kim Bien Market (District 5) and even Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street (District 5), the sales are much less than previous years,  down about 20% according to some shops.

Although the Christmas market has cooled down this year, the streets of Saigon are colorfully festooned for the many shoppers and onlookers to enjoy. The commercial centers in District 1 such as Parkson, Diamond Plaza, Vincom Centre and Thuong Xa Tax are glittering at night with shiny giant displays and lights. Everybody gets excited about the big Christmas displays and families take their kids around to see it.

This is the time of year to relax and enjoy the holidays in Uncle Ho’s city, welcoming the Christmas season in peace and happiness.

Related Articles

• Saigon prepares for Christmas

Saigon prepares for Christmas

Customers shop for Christmas decorations at a shop in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in HCMC’s District 5 - Photo: Thanh Truc

Everywhere you look, Saigon is busy decking out the streets with Christmas decorations and lights. Take a stroll along Ham Nghi, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Le Duan and Nguyen Hue and you will feel the festive air as the Yuletide approaches.

A strip of shops  in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in District 5 specialize in selling Christmas decorations with an extensive range in different colors and materials. Lengths of gold/silver tinsel cost about VND10,000–12,000, with the latest styles for VND17,000.  Boxes of six colorful Christmas baubles are priced from VND20,000 to VND30,000. The tinsel and baubles are the biggest sellers as they are compact and cheap. People are still watching the purse strings after the economic slowdown so they are looking for the best value they can find.

The Christmas trees displayed along Le Hong Phong Street in HCMC’s District 5 are also selling well. A medium size Christmas tree without decorations is about VND250,000 and from VND480,000 to VND700000 for decorated trees with Christmas baubles and tinsel.

Although the Christmas-decoration seller streets this year are quite busy, its been a bit slower than last year.

In some famous areas that sell Christmas products such as Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street (District 3), Kim Bien Market (District 5) and even Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street (District 5), the sales are much less than previous years,  down about 20% according to some shops.

Although the Christmas market has cooled down this year, the streets of Saigon are colorfully festooned for the many shoppers and onlookers to enjoy. The commercial centers in District 1 such as Parkson, Diamond Plaza, Vincom Centre and Thuong Xa Tax are glittering at night with shiny giant displays and lights. Everybody gets excited about the big Christmas displays and families take their kids around to see it.

This is the time of year to relax and enjoy the holidays in Uncle Ho’s city, welcoming the Christmas season in peace and happiness.

Related Articles

• Saigon prepares for Christmas

Saigon prepares for Christmas

Customers shop for Christmas decorations at a shop in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in HCMC’s District 5 - Photo: Thanh Truc

Everywhere you look, Saigon is busy decking out the streets with Christmas decorations and lights. Take a stroll along Ham Nghi, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Le Duan and Nguyen Hue and you will feel the festive air as the Yuletide approaches.

A strip of shops  in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in District 5 specialize in selling Christmas decorations with an extensive range in different colors and materials. Lengths of gold/silver tinsel cost about VND10,000–12,000, with the latest styles for VND17,000.  Boxes of six colorful Christmas baubles are priced from VND20,000 to VND30,000. The tinsel and baubles are the biggest sellers as they are compact and cheap. People are still watching the purse strings after the economic slowdown so they are looking for the best value they can find.

The Christmas trees displayed along Le Hong Phong Street in HCMC’s District 5 are also selling well. A medium size Christmas tree without decorations is about VND250,000 and from VND480,000 to VND700000 for decorated trees with Christmas baubles and tinsel.

Although the Christmas-decoration seller streets this year are quite busy, its been a bit slower than last year.

In some famous areas that sell Christmas products such as Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street (District 3), Kim Bien Market (District 5) and even Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street (District 5), the sales are much less than previous years,  down about 20% according to some shops.

Although the Christmas market has cooled down this year, the streets of Saigon are colorfully festooned for the many shoppers and onlookers to enjoy. The commercial centers in District 1 such as Parkson, Diamond Plaza, Vincom Centre and Thuong Xa Tax are glittering at night with shiny giant displays and lights. Everybody gets excited about the big Christmas displays and families take their kids around to see it.

This is the time of year to relax and enjoy the holidays in Uncle Ho’s city, welcoming the Christmas season in peace and happiness.

Related Articles

• Saigon prepares for Christmas

Saigon prepares for Christmas

Customers shop for Christmas decorations at a shop in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in HCMC’s District 5 - Photo: Thanh Truc

Everywhere you look, Saigon is busy decking out the streets with Christmas decorations and lights. Take a stroll along Ham Nghi, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Le Duan and Nguyen Hue and you will feel the festive air as the Yuletide approaches.

A strip of shops  in Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in District 5 specialize in selling Christmas decorations with an extensive range in different colors and materials. Lengths of gold/silver tinsel cost about VND10,000–12,000, with the latest styles for VND17,000.  Boxes of six colorful Christmas baubles are priced from VND20,000 to VND30,000. The tinsel and baubles are the biggest sellers as they are compact and cheap. People are still watching the purse strings after the economic slowdown so they are looking for the best value they can find.

The Christmas trees displayed along Le Hong Phong Street in HCMC’s District 5 are also selling well. A medium size Christmas tree without decorations is about VND250,000 and from VND480,000 to VND700000 for decorated trees with Christmas baubles and tinsel.

Although the Christmas-decoration seller streets this year are quite busy, its been a bit slower than last year.

In some famous areas that sell Christmas products such as Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street (District 3), Kim Bien Market (District 5) and even Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street (District 5), the sales are much less than previous years,  down about 20% according to some shops.

Although the Christmas market has cooled down this year, the streets of Saigon are colorfully festooned for the many shoppers and onlookers to enjoy. The commercial centers in District 1 such as Parkson, Diamond Plaza, Vincom Centre and Thuong Xa Tax are glittering at night with shiny giant displays and lights. Everybody gets excited about the big Christmas displays and families take their kids around to see it.

This is the time of year to relax and enjoy the holidays in Uncle Ho’s city, welcoming the Christmas season in peace and happiness.

Related Articles

• Saigon prepares for Christmas

Mihagui returns with third exhibition

A visitor inspects a painting by Robert Mihagui at the Phuong Mai Gallery in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: My Tran

After the success of his two previous exhibitions in 2006 and 2007, the Vietnamese French painter, Robert Mihagui, is back with a new exhibition named “Home Color: West and East.” The exhibition will open on Saturday at Phuong Mai Gallery, 129B Le Thanh Ton Street, HCMC’s District 1.

The exhibition features 30 oil abstracts of the landscapes in France and North Vietnam.  Everybody sees something different in Mihagui’s work but the power of the sky, land and the water is in all of his paintings.

“Although I paint in an abstract style that many Vietnamese are
unfamiliar with, the viewer can imagine magnificent mountains, gentle rivers, waterfalls, old houses and trees,” Mihagui said. He added that he wants to encourage his audience  to view his work with the soul and not the eyes.

He chooses to exhibit in Vietnam instead of developed Asian countries like Hong Kong or Singapore because of a spiritual connection with this country.

 “I always see images of where I was born in my mind’s eye, even in my dreams, which inspires me to paint in an amorphous style. I record the memories of my childhood using brushes and colors. I think, wherever you go, you always want to go back to where you come from.”

Born in 1945 in Vinh Phuc Province, Robert left Vietnam at 13 with his French father and studied fine arts from 1961-1984 in Surgeres in France. Mahagui was interested in pictorial techniques and pigments and was greatly influenced by the works of Zaou Wou Ki, a Chinese painter. At the age of 25, he decided to concentrate his energies on a personal style which is somewhere between abstraction and post-impressionism.

The exhibition runs till Dec. 18.

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Vietnam Dog Show 2010 kicks off on Sunday

A bulldog pup at the VKA dog show in 2009. This beautiful three-month old dog won best dog in show. - Photo: Kieu Giang

An important event for dog breeders and dog lovers, Vietnam National Dog Show 2010, will be held at Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Stadium at 8 Vo Van Tan Street in HCMC’s District 3 at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The show will be divided into two parts. The first part in the morning is for dachshunds, retrievers, flushing dogs, water dogs, terriers, bloodhounds, pinschers and schnauzers, mastiffs, bulldogs, St Bernards, cattle dogs and Vietnamese breeds. While spitz, ridgebacks, primitive types, sheep dogs, toy dogs, sighthounds and pointing dogs will compete in the afternoon.

There will be four levels of competition including baby class, puppy class, junior class and open class to find out the best of breed (BOB), best of group (BOG), best in show (BIS) and the CAC certificate for the best dog in Vietnam.

The jury consists of Masao Tashimo, a Japanese professional handler and judge of many international dog shows and Vietnamese Belgian Du Thanh Khiem a researcher of the Phu Quoc dog breed.

This is the second time the Vietnam Kennel Association (VKA) has organized the event. This year marks the first cooperation between VKA and the Féderation Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the World Canine Organization.

VKA was established in 2009 to develop dog breeding up to a professional level.

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Vietnam Dog Show 2010 kicks off on Sunday

A bulldog pup at the VKA dog show in 2009. This beautiful three-month old dog won best dog in show. - Photo: Kieu Giang

An important event for dog breeders and dog lovers, Vietnam National Dog Show 2010, will be held at Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Stadium at 8 Vo Van Tan Street in HCMC’s District 3 at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The show will be divided into two parts. The first part in the morning is for dachshunds, retrievers, flushing dogs, water dogs, terriers, bloodhounds, pinschers and schnauzers, mastiffs, bulldogs, St Bernards, cattle dogs and Vietnamese breeds. While spitz, ridgebacks, primitive types, sheep dogs, toy dogs, sighthounds and pointing dogs will compete in the afternoon.

There will be four levels of competition including baby class, puppy class, junior class and open class to find out the best of breed (BOB), best of group (BOG), best in show (BIS) and the CAC certificate for the best dog in Vietnam.

The jury consists of Masao Tashimo, a Japanese professional handler and judge of many international dog shows and Vietnamese Belgian Du Thanh Khiem a researcher of the Phu Quoc dog breed.

This is the second time the Vietnam Kennel Association (VKA) has organized the event. This year marks the first cooperation between VKA and the Féderation Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the World Canine Organization.

VKA was established in 2009 to develop dog breeding up to a professional level.

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• Vietnam Dog Show 2010 kicks off on Sunday
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
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