Updated October 2026 — refreshed for Christmas 2026 with the latest visitor figures, our three Saigon studios and current workshop prices.
Christmas in Vietnam is a cultural celebration rather than a public holiday: 24 and 25 December are normal working days, but the big cities fill with lights, churches overflow on Christmas Eve and young people head out in Santa hats. NOTE – The Scent Lab is a perfume workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where you can spend 120 minutes blending a perfume to keep or give, from $25.92 for 10 ml (VAT included), booked at the9base.com/booking.
The heat hits you first. It’s December 24th and the air is around 30°C, thick with motorbike exhaust and the sweet char of grilled corn from a street vendor’s cart. Somewhere ahead, a cathedral bell rings — not the deep toll of European churches, but a thinner, more insistent sound that cuts through the honking. Fairy lights drape across the main boulevard. A group of teenagers in Santa hats take selfies in front of a giant Christmas tree. No snow. No cold. Vietnamese pop remixes of “Jingle Bells” from a cafe on the corner. You’re sweating. And somehow, it feels exactly right.
This is Christmas in Vietnam. Vietnam welcomed nearly 21.2 million international visitors in 2025, a record year, and for many of them December is the first time they see how a tropical, mostly non-Christian country does the holiday. If you’re staying on for 31 December, our guide to New Year’s Eve in Saigon picks up where this one ends.
Is Christmas celebrated in Vietnam?
Yes — Christmas is widely celebrated in Vietnam, but as a festive night out rather than a religious or family holiday for most people. Catholics are a small minority, yet the cathedrals and churches are the focus of Christmas Eve, and non-Catholics come along for the atmosphere. Christmas is not a public holiday, so shops, restaurants and attractions stay open.
It is less a religious occasion for the majority and more a reason to go out, eat, celebrate and be together. Malls compete with light installations, cafes put up trees and the main streets become one long photo backdrop.
How does Christmas differ between Saigon, Hanoi and central Vietnam?
The south is warm and loud, the north cool and atmospheric, and the centre somewhere in between. Ho Chi Minh City has the biggest street-level party, Hanoi feels closest to a “wintry” Christmas, and smaller cities like Hoi An and Da Nang are calmer. Pick by the mood you want, then by the weather.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) — the street party
Saigon does Christmas loudly. Nguyen Hue Walking Street becomes a river of people, the crowds around Notre-Dame Cathedral turn into a walking festival, and the downtown malls compete with their light displays. For where to go hour by hour — lights, Midnight Mass, gifts — see our detailed guide to Christmas in Ho Chi Minh City.
Hanoi — the cool, candlelit version
Hanoi celebrates differently. December evenings are cool, the Old Quarter strings lights between its narrow buildings, Hoan Kiem Lake glows, and St. Joseph’s Cathedral holds services that spill out onto the street. You can smell roasting chestnuts and egg coffee drifting from packed cafes. It is the closest Vietnam comes to Christmas weather, even without snow.
Hoi An and Da Nang — the quiet middle
Central Vietnam is calmer at Christmas. Hotels and restaurants host Christmas dinners, churches hold services, and the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An need little extra decoration. December can be wet here, so plan indoor options.
What does Christmas in Vietnam smell like?
Vietnam’s December smells like street food, flowers and incense rather than pine and mulled wine. In Saigon it is grilled corn, caramelised rice paper and jasmine in the warm air; in Hanoi it is egg coffee, charcoal and pagoda incense on cold nights. These are the scents travellers try to capture when they make a perfume here.
Every city has a December smell. London has mulled wine and wet wool. New York has roasted chestnuts and subway steam. Walk past a street-side phở stall in Saigon and the star anise and cinnamon hit you — the same cinnamon a perfume can carry as a warm heart note. You won’t be mixing phở into your perfume, but when you spray it six months later, you won’t just remember Vietnam. You’ll smell it. (More on this in what Saigon actually smells like.)
What is a meaningful Christmas gift to bring home from Vietnam?
A gift you made yourself in Vietnam is hard to beat — and a custom perfume is one of the few that fits in hand luggage and keeps the trip alive every time it is worn. At NOTE – The Scent Lab you build the scent in a 120-minute session and take the bottle home the same day. If you’d rather give the experience than the bottle, there is a perfume workshop gift card.
Think about it: you smell dozens of raw materials and choose the ones that remind you of someone — your mother’s garden (jasmine, a green note), your partner’s quiet confidence (cedarwood, patchouli), your best friend’s chaotic energy (bergamot, pink peppercorn). Drop by drop, you build a scent that’s theirs. You name it. You carry it home in your luggage. That’s not a souvenir. That’s a love letter in liquid form. Our personalised gift workshop page explains how to plan it as a present.
“Great service, very detailed explanation and I got a great perfume as a present for my bestfriend.”
— Hải Anh H., review platform
How does a perfume workshop at NOTE work in December?
A workshop at NOTE – The Scent Lab lasts 120 minutes, with an instructor beside you the whole time, teaching in English or Vietnamese. You smell, choose and blend from 30+ raw materials across nine scent families, then leave with a serial-numbered bottle and your formula saved for reorders. December is peak season, so book a few days ahead.
Each session sets out three of the nine scent families, so the palette you meet depends on the day. You build the perfume in layers — top, heart and base — testing and adjusting until it feels like yours, then choose the size: 10 ml $25.92, 20 ml $47.52, 30 ml $58.32 or 50 ml $69.12, all including 8% VAT (full pricing). Refills of your saved formula are 20% off. Plans change on holiday, so it helps that you can reschedule free up to 24 hours before, and cancellations at least 48 hours ahead get an 80% refund.
“I left with not only my handmade creations but also a wealth of new knowledge. Highly recommend.”
— Travel08168811303, review platform
“What a cool class! I learned about what I like and don’t like as well as how to build a perfume. Making my own was really cool.”
— Katherine C., review platform
Where are NOTE’s studios?
All three NOTE – The Scent Lab studios are in Ho Chi Minh City; there is no studio in Hanoi or central Vietnam. If your trip ends or begins in Saigon, plan the workshop for those days. Full details are on our studios page.
- 42 Nguyen Hue, 2nd floor (The Cafe Apartment), District 1 — on the walking street; Google Maps · direction video. Background reading: our Cafe Apartment guide.
- 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thao Dien — the quieter expat neighbourhood; Google Maps · direction video.
- 26 Ly Tu Trong, 3rd floor, District 1 — open 09:00–22:00, handy for an evening session.
What should you know before visiting Vietnam at Christmas?
December is peak season in Vietnam, so book flights, hotels and popular activities early. The weather varies a lot by region — hot and dry in Saigon, cool in Hanoi, sometimes wet in the centre — so pack for more than one climate. And remember that New Year’s Eve is a bigger night than Christmas in the cities.
Churches welcome visitors. Even if you’re not Catholic, being outside Notre-Dame Cathedral (Saigon) or St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Hanoi) on Christmas Eve is a cultural experience. Arrive early — the crowds build fast.
Christmas Day is a working day. Shops, museums and markets are open, which means you have the whole city available. In Saigon, see our list of things to do in Ho Chi Minh City; if the afternoon heat gets too much, try indoor activities in Saigon.
Follow along. Our Instagram @note.workshop shares holiday-season moments from the studio.
Many guests tell us they wish they had booked earlier in their trip: the perfume becomes a companion for the rest of the holiday — worn to dinners, on boat rides, through markets — and by the time they fly home it has absorbed layers of memory that weren’t planned. If that sounds like your kind of December, reserve your Christmas workshop. For ready-made gifts, browse NOTE’s Christmas collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Christmas a public holiday in Vietnam?
No. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are normal working days in Vietnam, but they are widely celebrated as cultural events, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Streets are decorated, churches hold services and the atmosphere is festive.
When is Christmas in Vietnam?
Christmas in Vietnam falls on 25 December, as in most of the world. The main celebration is the evening of 24 December, when crowds gather around the cathedrals and main streets.
Is December a good time to visit Vietnam?
December is peak tourist season. Ho Chi Minh City is in its dry season and good for sightseeing, Hanoi is cool, and central Vietnam can be wet. For warm, dry weather, the south is the best choice in December.
Can I make a custom perfume as a Christmas gift in Vietnam?
Yes. At NOTE – The Scent Lab in Ho Chi Minh City you create your own perfume in a 120-minute session with an instructor and take the serial-numbered bottle home the same day. The formula is saved, so you can reorder it later.
Where is NOTE – The Scent Lab located?
NOTE has three studios, all in Ho Chi Minh City: 42 Nguyen Hue, 2nd floor (The Cafe Apartment), District 1; 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thao Dien; and 26 Ly Tu Trong, 3rd floor, District 1.
How much does a perfume workshop cost in Vietnam?
At NOTE – The Scent Lab, prices include 8% VAT and depend on bottle size: 10 ml $25.92, 20 ml $47.52, 30 ml $58.32 and 50 ml $69.12. You can book online at the9base.com/booking.
