Fright night: Decorative carved pumpkins light up Thuna House coffee shop in Hue. — Photo courtesy of Thuna House

THUA THIEN HUE  (VNS) — Despite its reputation as a city hesitant to adopt foreign traditions, the city of Hue is buzzing with halloween excitement.

The city is festooned with Halloween decorations; dead bodies, ghosts, pumpkins and monsters - a reminder of the city's younger generation.

Shops display various decorations and Halloween costumes for sale while fake dead bodies are found hanging on trees throughout the city.

"I found many interesting things from Halloween and have been feeling scared of ghosts," said 25-year-old local Ngoc Bich.

Bich and her close friends prepare costumes to dress as witches and monsters for a costume party tonight at a local bar.

Meanwhile, another local resident, Bao Huy, said he has trained in the English Language Faculty to learn about the tradition. Huy has planned a Halloween dinner for his friends before they go to a party at DMZ Bar, famous in Hue for its annual Halloween party, primarily attended by foreign tourists.

Coffee shops, where most youngsters congregate in the old city, are redesigning the shops to coincide with the Halloween theme and hold Vietnamese-style Halloween parties for young locals.

The His&Her coffee shop is offering participants free face paintings for guests who order food and beverages, with no cover charge.

"We are holding the party for frequent guests to our shop. They are young and do enjoy cross-cultural events" said shop host Thuy Duong.

Similarly, the Thuna House coffee shop is offering entrance tickets to winners of a photo contest held prior to the "Twilight Party".

Other coffee shops will hold different Halloween parties, for couples and those coming alone. Singes will have the option of a service to rent female or male partners.

As a tradition, the International Studies Faculty in Hue University of Foreign Languages holds a party for students to enjoy themselves and learn about the tradition, says young lecturer Le Ngoc.

This year's event includes a costume party, comedic performances and a musical play by students.

Talking about the effects of foreign cultural imports such as Haloween, one local culture expert said the younger generations demonstrated a keeness to embrace foreign cultural traditions, while remaining faithful to their own things. — VNS