Christmas in Vietnam

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to jump on here, so here's a brief update: We flew from Luang Prabang, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam on the 24th. We definitely would have loved to spend a few more days in Luang Prabang, it's such a sleepy city, with so much to do in the surrounding mountains and rivers. We loved it! Hanoi, in contrast, was bustling and chaotic. We got in around 6pm on Christmas Eve. Vietnam was playing Thailand in the second to last game of the SE Asian Suzuki Cup, so people were congregated in shop doorways watching the game. We got a hotel room and headed out to explore the city. About 8pm, the city exploded into the streets, as Vietnam won the game. People were waving flags and driving their motobikes through the streets, honking more than normal. We walked to the lake in the center of town and watched as the number of revellers quickly increased. Much to our surprise, there was also a giant, outdoor pop/christmas concert going on. People were everywhere, and vendors were selling Santa Balloons, vietnamese flags, etc. You could barely move through the crowd, yet somehow people were still driving motobikes through. Unreal. We walked over to St. Joseph's Cathedral, which is a giant, beautiful catholic church in the middle of Old Quarter, Hanoi. They were going to have an outdoor midnight mass and broadcast it on a big screen in the church yard. We went to grab a bowl of Pho (vietnamese noodle soup) and wait. We went to a really authentic place (read, we were the only Westerners around) and it was awesome. We headed back to the church yard about 11:30, and it was absolute and utter chaos. Not only were there masses of people that had shown up for the church service, but the crowds were also pouring in from the concert, and there were soccer fans to boot. At one point we had to back out of the crowd, because it was just too crowded, it was literally like sardines and we were all pushing against each other, yet people were still attempting to move through the crowd. We watched as the clergy sang silent night in Vietnamese, and thought of everyone we were missing back home.
The next day we enjoyed exploring Hanoi and it's culinary offerings. We also caught a water puppet show, which I really enjoyed. Marionettes on sticks that move through the water--it's fun to watch. All in all, it was a great Christmas, though as different a Christmas as I could have imagined. I missed the tree and family and traditions, but it was a great experience, just the same. I have learned that the Vietnamese people love a crowd, and aren't afraid to pack as many people/motobikes/cars into one area as is humanly possible. It's pretty funny.