Nearly everyone across the country celebrates the holidays one way or another, but in other parts of the world, this time of year can look different.
Christmas is a time when friends and families get together to celebrate this holiday season.
Kevin La is the owner of Jasmine Beauty School in San Diego's Redwood Village neighborhood. His family is from Saigon, Vietnam, where he says about 35% of people are Catholic, and the vast majority Buddhist.
“The people in Vietnam actually celebrate Christmas, too," La said. "It's a universal holiday. But religiously, many Catholics in Vietnam, they would go to mass and attend church. But otherwise, it's not as big as in America."
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He arrived to America on a Christmas Day 30 years ago in search for the American Dream.
“There were Christmas trees and music. I was 9 or 10 years old. That’s why the memory is still imprinted in me. It’s so overwhelming and so exciting," he said. "When I walked in, I was like, 'So, this is heaven. Wow, this is America.'"
It's a memory he treasures every Christmas.
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“We never actually celebrated. Our family in Vietnam, we were poor, and we didn’t have a chance to go here and there. But then we came here. We saw all these things, and it opened our eyes,” he said.
This year, he and his family will be celebrating Christmas in their new home.
“Everywhere, there’s lights. So, the environment is very similar to that memory when I was 9 years old,” La said. “I feel like I actually made it in America. This is my first home, and I finally achieved my dreams.”
Another major holiday celebrated among the Vietnamese community is the Lunar New Year. Next year, it will be celebrated on Feb. 10.
