People wait in long lines to enter the fair venue at the Consulate General of France, at 6 Le Duan Street in District 1 at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Admission to the fair cost VND30,000 ($1.24) per person and all profits generated from the event will be donated to five charitable organizations operating in Vietnam: Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe e.V., E-ducare, the Ho Chi Minh Heart Institute, Ba Chieu Shelter, and Song Foundation.
(From L) Consul Generals of France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands cut the ribbon to launch the charity fair.
“Christmas in Europe is an occasion for family members to gather to show each other love. Amid complicated developments around the world, we want to organize this event to spread the love value of the holiday,” French Consul General in HCMC Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser said.
Silvia from Peru (R) and her German friend Denise laugh as they sing along Christmas songs at the charity fair.
Vietnamese college students check out clothes put on sale at the fair.
Children pose for photos with Santa Claus.
A boy takes a horse ride around the backyard of the French mansion. Each ride costs VND50,000.
The consulate general’s garden, spanning over 1.5 hectares, features ancient trees and serves as a sanctuary for rare ferrets, squirrels, and birds.
Every year, during the annual “European Heritage Days” celebration, the Consulate General of France also opens its doors to the public for free.
Visitors check craft products from Europe. There were also booths offering traditional Christmas snacks and wine.
A family poses for a photo at the fair. Ho Minh Trung (2nd, R), said they queued for three hours to enter the masion.
“I used to live in Paris and I felt the Christmas atmosphere at the fair pretty familiar. Our family was very happy to celebrate Christmas early.”
Young Vietnamese perform a song at the event.
Small rain poured late at night but did not affect the mood of the event.
The fair opened from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., receiving more than 2,000 visitors and more than VND150 million of donation, according to the organizers.