Worried about capturing the magic of Christmas for your little ones? Hanoi residents have the answer: hire a Santa.
By popular demand, rent-a-Santa services have cropped up all over the capital, charging anywhere from VND60,000-100,000 per address for a fake Father Christmas to deliver gifts to children, reports DTI.
According to Huyen Anh, whom DTI deems a “Christmas service provider”, rent-a-Santa fees jump up to around VND150,000 on Christmas Day, however the cost is still relatively affordable for most families. Anh's dress-up Santas will go anywhere, provided the location is within five kilometers.
The routine goes like this: a part-time Santa, usually a young person, will dress up as Father Christmas and head to the required address with gifts previously purchased by the parents. Upon arrival, Old Saint Nick gives the children a short spiel about good behavior before handing over the presents.
“In previous years, I used to put Christmas presents at the bottom of my children’s bed, but this year, I decided to hire a fake Santa Claus who will come to my house to give the gifts to them,” local resident Nguyen Thanh Tam told DTI.
Rent-a-Santas are also available for large groups; the going rate is around VND300,000-400,000 for up to 30 kids.
The deal isn't bad for the Santas, either, most of whom are young people trying to earn some extra money. Typically, a fake Saint Nick takes home 15-20% of the rental fee.
Aside from these Santas for hire, there's another strange Yuletide phenomenon taking place in Vietnam: Christmas escorts. For those too old to get excited by the magic of Mr. Claus, it's also possible to hop on the internet and post an introduction, a list of requirements and a proposed fee in hopes of finding someone with whom you can share the Christmas holiday. The service costs roughly VND200,000 during the day but ran up to VND250,000 on Christmas Eve.
[Photo via Kien Thuc]
