The Christmas vibe has arrived early in HCMC, with cafés decorating with trees, lights, artificial snow, and playing Christmas music.
Tiem Tra Thang Tu (April Tea House), located at 193/19 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3, finished its Christmas decorations as early as September.
"By mid-September, we already had many customers coming in for Christmas-themed photos," the manager said.
Most visitors dress in white, pink, green, or red outfits to match the festive atmosphere while taking photos.
Lan Anh, 21, said she had researched the space in advance to plan her poses, makeup, and outfit. Due to the crowd, she found it challenging to get a shot without other people in the background.
Many people traveled from other provinces to enjoy the early Christmas atmosphere.
Ngoc Thuong, 16, and her friend rode two hours from Ben Tre Province to HCMC just to take early Christmas pictures.
"Only in HCMC do they start decorating for Christmas this early, so we came here to take photos and post them gradually," Thuong said.
However, she found it inconvenient to change clothes and do her makeup, as the café only had one restroom, which was crowded.
The café is decorated with numerous nutcracker soldier toys, a symbol of Christmas originating from German folklore, representing protection for the family.
Thanh, a coffee shop located at 1 Nhieu Tu Street, Phu Nhuan District has also started its Christmas decorations early to attract customers. Each section of the café features one or two Christmas trees adorned with twinkling lights, while maintaining a quiet atmosphere for guests.
"Christmas is the most beautiful season of the year. We wanted to create a cozy ambiance for our customers as early as possible", said the café’s manager.
The café’s staircase is decorated with colorful paintings of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and reindeer.
Nham Cafe, located at 91/1 Hoa Hung Street, District 10, features a Christmas tree made of books, decorated with LED lights, attracting many customers for photo sessions.
The café is designed for studying and working, and has rules against bringing photography equipment such as large tripods or lighting to avoid disturbing other patrons.
Kim Phuong, 24, and Tu Trinh, 25, both from HCMC's District 10, have a tradition of taking photos together every Christmas season. They said many cafés get crowded in December, making it hard to take pictures, so they prefer to do it early and save the photos to post later on social media.
"This year, a lot of cafés are decorating for Christmas earlier than usual", Phuong said.
