Valentine's Day

OK, I'm writing this one day late, but please forgive me. Yesterday, when I rode my bike to Dien Bien Phu Street for dinner, I noticed some vendors on the streets that hadn't been there before. I noticed they were selling packages of fruit and flowers and found this strange. After all, Tet finished more than a week ago. But then I saw lots of red color and some heart-shaped boxes, and I realized that, of course, these vendors were selling things for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day is a day of love and friendship. Sweethearts buy gifts--sometimes large, sometimes small--for each other. In the US, chocolate, sweets, and flowers are probably the most popular. Sometimes dinner in a nice restaurant can also make a good Valentine's Day gift. In schools in America, Valentine's Day is for both love and friendship. Some students will give cards to their classmates, friends, or teachers. It's also common for family members to send each other greetings on this day.

I'm not sure what is common in Vietnam. I'd like my readers to post some comments about how they celebrate (or have celebrated) Valentine's Day. Do you give things to a sweetheart, a spouse (husband or wife), a secret love? Is it just for romantic love or is it also a day for friends and family? Is there a generational difference on the celebration? I assume that celebrating Valentine's is a rather new phenomenon, so I wonder what parents or grandparents think about it. Do they find it sweet? Do they think it's silly and a distraction from more important things?

Please share your ideas. If you have photographs that you've taken that you'd like me to post, please send them to me.