(VOVworld) – The festive Christmas atmosphere is spreading to every corner of Vietnam, with Catholics and Protestants organizing a range of festivities in celebration of the holiday.

The Hanoi Cathedral and churches like Ham Long, Thai Ha and Lang Tam are beautifully decorated with lights, evergreen trees, and flowers, luring thousands of Catholic followers and tourists. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien is a Hanoian: “I feel very happy on this day. Every coffee shop and restaurant is beautifully decorated. And the Christmas shopping atmosphere is very exciting”.

People in Ho Chi Minh city welcomed Christmas in the city center. The Christmas atmosphere prevails in the districts where many Catholics live. Roads leading to churches were decorated with twinkling lights. Julia Backer is a Canadian tourist: “It’s my first time to Vietnam. Christmas day is very impressive with people and traffic, it’s very exciting. I rush to the street, joining crowds of people. Peace and health for everyone”.  

In Kim Son district in the northern province of Ninh Binh, local Catholics and visitors are streaming into the well-known stone church of Phat Diem , which is sparkling with thousands of lights.

A lot of people flocked to churches in the southern province of Dong Nai. This Christmas, the province held a number of community activities such as delivering gifts to patients at Central Mental Hospital 2 and delivering clothes and toys to orphans.

The Christmas atmosphere is conspicuous in many corners of the world. In a Christmas message to the small population of Catholics in the Middle East, Pope Francis asked them to keep their faith and not fear the threat of terrorism. The Pope also called on Catholic followers around the world to show tolerance and love to one another.

A Christmas tree and Nativity scene decorated St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican after a lighting ceremony Dec. 19.

Meanwhile, pilgrims from around the world have converged on the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations. Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to the world calling for justice for Palestinian people following decades of Israeli occupation. In Germany, people gathered at Romerberg square in Frankfurt to take part in the year’s biggest market.

Many people flocked to streets in Paris to celebrate Christmas despite security concerns. In the US, Stanta Clauses appear in every corner of New York City. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit with 45,000 LED lights. Christmas was also celebrated in countries such as Iraq and Syria where fighting is occurring. In Sierra Leone, the Christmas celebration was cancelled due to fear of Ebola spreading.