Christmas Culture in Vietnam differs from that in Japan

I want to go to Sapa to see the snow and eat cake at the hotel. I don't have any gift in mind.

I would like to go to the Hanoi Cathedral to see an outdoor concert and then have dinner together. I would like to have Italian food. Any gift is fine, as long as it is heartfelt.

Have a drink at the observation lounge of the Saigon Sky Deck Observation Deck in the Vitexco Tower and present a bouquet of flowers made from 50,000 VND bills.

I heard there is a cruise ship hotel in Halong Bay and would like to stay on the ship and enjoy a cruise on Halong Bay. I would like to receive a bouquet of flowers as a gift. I would like to cook Japanese food for him.

As for gifts, I give chocolates that I brought from Japan. What I would like to receive is a lover (laughs).

I would like to go to the Christmas market and enjoy shopping and then relax eating and drinking at the outdoor bar.

We will eat dinner while listening to a live band at "Top of Hanoi" on the rooftop floor of the Lotte Center.

I don't go anywhere in particular, but spend time at home with my family. I don't have a specific gift in mind, but if I did, I would look at the situation carefully and choose something that the person lacks or something that they like. A pen or a pair of shoes. If I were to receive a gift, I would be most happy to see a beautiful scenery together.

I will make Christmas decorations on pine trees because there are not many fir trees in Vietnam. I want to take a walk with my girlfriend on a street with pine trees and make memories. Also, I will take pictures and upload them to Instagram.

I would like to take a walk on the pedestrian street of Hoan Kiem Lake, eat the famous Tran Thien ice cream and chat. At night, we will take a walk in the open-air night market. For dinner, we will eat buns and pho.

I take my girlfriend to my hometown because my hometown is within a day trip distance. There is a mountain nearby where we can have a picnic, so we climb it, and when we return home, we pick fruits from our garden and eat them, play fishing in the pond in our garden, or feed and play with our goats since we have one. For dinner, I would like to cook a hot pot with the chickens we have at home, and in the evening, I would like to go to a nearby coffee shop and chat over a cup of coffee.

I would go to an Aeon Mall or a VIN Group mall and buy them something a little more exotic, like Shiseido cosmetics, Japanese clothes, or shoes. Then we eat at a restaurant in the mall. I don't care what I get, as long as it is heartfelt.

We will take a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake to chat and have a cup of coffee. We can take a cyclo or a double-decker bus that will take us around Hanoi in an hour. I would like to receive books, scarves, stuffed animals, etc. as gifts. What I would like to give is a pair of sweaters.

I would like to have a glass of wine at the bar on the 72nd floor of the Kang Nam Square building.

There is no custom in Vietnam to buy and eat fried chicken on Christmas, but I like it myself, so I would like to take it out and eat it while enjoying the view of Thai Lake.

I would like to stroll around the busy areas such as Bui Vien and Nguyen Hue streets, have dinner nearby, and then relax in a café or bar.

Vietnamese people are very protective of their families. I believe that "no news is proof that they are safe," so I only contact my parents in Japan once in a while because I think that if I contact them too often, it will cause them to worry that there is something they are not telling me. In Vietnam, both men and women contact their families frequently. My girlfriend told me that the Japanese way is cold, and I had a hard time explaining it to her.

I was surprised when my Japanese girlfriend warned me about leaving food. Later, I learned that in Japanese culture, it is polite to eat everything. I also wanted to introduce her to my own family, but they didn't want to because they were embarrassed. I convinced her that it was normal in Vietnamese culture and introduced her to my family, but we had a fight after that.

Vietnamese men are just so kind. They opened doors for me at restaurants and in cars, let me wear a helmet when I rode a motorcycle, gave me a bouquet of flowers out of the blue, and did many other things that Japanese men have never done for me, and I was very impressed. On the other hand, he didn't act on promises he made until the day of the appointment, and there was a time when I couldn't get into a restaurant I wanted to go to, but he didn't care much about that. He did not mind that I could not enter a restaurant I wanted to go to. He also laughed at me when I told him that he started smoking cigarettes without telling me when he smoked.

When I was dating a Japanese man, he was once furious at me for being a little late. I explained to him that in Vietnam we often travel by motorcycle, so we might be a little late depending on how crowded the roads are, but he kept saying, "In Japan," and wouldn't listen to me. He also told me only vaguely what he wanted and suddenly got angry with me, so I got fed up and parted ways with him.

Vietnamese men will listen to anything you say, but there are many times when they are just saying the right thing at the right moment and it can lead to a fight. They are usually kind, but they are also proud and seldom apologize. It is important not to expect too much from them, but sometimes they are serious, and it is difficult to respond to them in a lenient manner. I think the key to a long relationship is to keep an open mind and not worry too much about the details.

When I met the Vietnamese woman I am currently dating, she was in Japan as an intern and we had a long distance relationship for about a year. The trick to keep us from breaking up was to talk via video call every day, but it was a little difficult to coordinate time because of the two-hour time difference between Japan and Vietnam. Vietnamese women think of themselves as princesses in a sense, so I feel it is important to treat them with reverence. Also, when they cook for you when you are full, it is better to eat gratefully without saying anything unnecessary. They are doing you a favor, and if you refuse, they will become grumpy even if they have a reason for not being able to eat.

I would like to go to church with you. I would like to give sweets and a red sweater for the cold weather. I would like to receive white roses.

I don't have a girlfriend so it's hard to imagine.... I don't think I'm going anywhere and I don't think I'll be raising any gifts.

I would like to go somewhere with few people and beautiful scenery. A camping cottage would be nice, and we can have barbecues and parties. I would like to go not just the two of us, but with all my Vietnamese and Japanese friends. I hope to meet someone there and make a new couple. As a present, I would like to get a stylish and cool woolen hat. I would also like to go shopping together for a coat to wear when it gets cold.

I would like to get together with everyone at Hoan Kiem Lake for a drink. I would like to invite both Japanese and Vietnamese friends and give everyone a chance to get to know each other. It's fun. What I want to give to my girlfriend is a scarf. In Vietnam, a scarf is a gift for a girlfriend. What I would like to receive is a picture taken with my girlfriend. I will print it out and put it in my wallet. I think the best gift is a memorial.