Yuletide Tiptoes Into Little Saigon : Retail: Holiday gift-buyers are scarce in the county’s largest Asian shopping district.

It was a slow day for Santa.

He waited patiently on a Saturday afternoon for a child to perch on his knee, whisper a few gift wishes and sit still for a photograph.

But there were few takers at the Asian Garden Mall in the heart of Little Saigon. Santa sat idly, ignored by the men seated at a long line of tables playing an Asian board game that looked something like checkers.

As he ho-ho-hoed his way to his red velvet throne behind an illuminated plastic snowman, Santa admitted that even if business picks up, he might have a little trouble understanding the Christmas dreams of some children. Santa, as it turned out, is a Latino who doesn’t speak Vietnamese.

Christmas has come to Little Saigon. But don’t look for giant candy canes and garlands draping street lamps along the bustling commercial strip that is centered along Bolsa Avenue in Westminster. And forget about long lines at cash registers or shopping-weary customers sinking under the weight of presents.

In Orange County’s most prominent Asian shopping district, the yule season is a more elusive creature. Many Vietnamese are Buddhist and do not observe Christmas as a religious holiday. Vietnamese Catholics celebrate Christmas, but the economic downturn has forced many to cut back on holiday gift-buying.

“Shopping this year is not as strong” because of the weaker economy, said Dr. Co Dang Long Pham, president of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. Some shop owners are hoping for business to pick up as the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration--the biggest holiday for many Asians--begins Feb. 15.

Even so, it’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas in Little Saigon. Christmas carols, sung in Vietnamese, blare into the parking lot of the Vinh Quang Gift Shop, where tables bulge with inexpensive imported model planes and baby dolls. Smiling counter workers wear Santa caps at the Song Long French & Vietnamese bakery. And Hong Phuc Dim Sum to Go has painted its windows with wintry scenes and a cheery “Happy Holidays” message.

Michelle Wynn, who operates a seasonal toy business under a blue canvas tent in the parking lot of Today Plaza, said her customers--primarily Vietnamese with a smattering of Koreans and Anglos--tend to spend $50 or $100 in one shot.

“They do it all in one trip,” she said as she tended store with her brother, niece and son. Like other shopkeepers, Wynn said business had been slow, although it perked up last week.

Tuyet Tran, owner of the Au Printemps clothing store, said her sales have been among the lowest she can recall in a holiday season. Tran has owned the store for 10 years in the busy Bolsa Mini Mall, a pink, U-shaped cluster of about 40 shops. She blamed the same economic downturn and war jitters that have cut into the profits of stores at other county malls.

Customers are still coming to the store, but they are buying smaller items and spending less, Tran said.

Binh Nguyen and his wife, Hien, of Westminster were shopping for toys for their 2-year-old son at Vinh Quang’s parking lot sale. Nguyen said he prefers to buy clothes at shopping malls but looks for items such as toys in Little Saigon because the small shops and bustling atmosphere remind him of the Vietnam he left behind.

“It’s more like my country,” he says with a hint of pride.

He explained that his wife is Catholic and that the family celebrates Christmas. But he said the extravagant gift-giving that has become a mainstay of American culture contrasts with Vietnamese tradition.