A German-style Christmas Market will open for the first time from December 14 to 16 at Cua Bac Church in Phan Dinh Phung Street, Hanoi.

The market is being organized by the German Embassy in Vietnam and the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, to introduce Vietnamese to a Christmas atmosphere in the traditional German style.

Christmas markets in Germany have long been a cultural venue where people come to experience a Christmas atmosphere and prepare for the new year. 

The most famous Christmas market in Germany is at Nuremburg, where handmade products and Christmas specialties are sold.

The 100-year-old Cua Bac Church, with its clock tower and picturesque windows, is considered the perfect festive backdrop for the Christmas Market, for its large, open space.

To be held from 2pm to 9pm on December 14 and 15 and from 10am to 9pm on December 16, the market will kick off with a highlight: a Christmas concert performed by the Suc Song Moi bamboo ensemble, featuring classical music and international Christmas favorites, starting from 6pm on December 14. 

There will be 13 booths introducing craft products, including different Christmas decorations and some traditional German food. 

Among the booths are eight simulating wooden houses. Another highlight of the market is an eight-meter-high Christmas tree decorated with lights.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Goethe-Institut’s presence in Vietnam, the Goethe-Institut Hanoi will hold a special Christmas concert on December 21 at 8pm, also at Cua Bac Church, featuring Mozart’s Coronation Mass as well as Bach’s Orchestra Suite in D major, performed by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO). 

The concert will feature a combination of two Vietnamese artists, Ha Pham Thang Long and Vu Manh Dung, and two German artists, Claire Gascoin and Florian Siever.

Guests can also make a charitable donation at the concert, to help the poor.

Music, candlelights, and the aroma of hot wine will create a festive mood and a Western-style Christmas experience.

VN Economic Times