Father Phan Khac Tu, Vice Chairman of the HCM City Committee for Religious Solidarity, said Christians have raised funds to buy gifts for at least 2,000 orphans, lonely elderly people and drug users being detoxificated at centres.

Priest Tran Cong Tan, Acting head of the Vietnam Seven-Day Adventist Church (SDC), confided that this Christmas is very special for his church which has freshly received a certificate for national practice from the Government Department of Religious Affairs.

A big SDC chancel has been built and inaugurated in time to make Christmas Day a full joy for SDC members and give the church a new position in the national religion, said the senior SDC cleric.

The same happiness has been seen at the Vietnam Grace Baptist Church, one of the two independent Protestant sects in the city to receive certificates for national practice before Christmas.

Arch-Bishop Pham Minh Man has shared joy with municipal authorities at a recent meeting over great achievements in the national development and expressed happiness at the increasing number of new clerics and followers.

He reiterated his aspirations to work together with the entire Catholic church to contribute to the development of the city and the country.

At the Dam Sen Cultural Park, for example, crowds of people stayed around and tasted a huge creme cake weighing 5 tonnes and measuring 22 metre in length on Christmas Eve night. A series of art performances have been held with the participation of popular singers, actors and actresses.

Security has also been tightened with a ban on heavy transport into the inner city to ensure traffic safety.

**** Pleiky Roh village in Pleiku city, Central Highlands Gia Lai province, is now crowded with people and brightened by banners and posters welcoming the festive season.

People are pouring into the streets to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Christmas trees have been decorated with lights and boxes of gifts in every house in the village, which is home to almost 1,500 people. Here, for the most part, there is harmony between the major group of religious followers like Buddhists and Catholics.

This year, villagers harvested a bumper coffee crop and many families have received help from local authorities to repair homes. The local women's chapter has raised funds to extend non-interest loans for members who are poor to boost household production.

In Dac Nong province, also in the Central Highlands, almost 40,000 Protestants have happily enjoyed Christmas celebrations. They said they felt warm in the cool weather of winter, thanks to assistance from the local administration.

Head of the Protestant diocese of Gia Nghia township Pham Van Tin said almost 300 Protestants in the diocese were free to worship every weekend.

Local authorities often came to encourage us to live according to the Gospel.

Mr Tin said, adding that he himself had been sent to a training course for practitioners.

"I am going to be ordained as an intern Priest," Mr Tin confided.

Y Kron Bkrong, Chief of the U2 commune, Eatling township in Cu Jut district, admitted that his villagers, mostly Protestants or of the H'mong ethnic minority group had been incited by ill-minded people to cause social disorder. But recently they were encouraged by local authorities to help each other boost household economy and maintain social order and security.

Father Nguyen Ngoc Anh, head of the Protestant chapter in Thuan An village, Dack Mil district, shared this view, saying religious people, especially Protestants are now confident in had had faith in the State policy on religion and worship and united in helping each other overcome difficulties. Everyone wishes to live in peace and to worship God, the priest said.