It only takes two days of humidity for mold to start growing inside your home, so don’t wait until you can see signs of mold – take action as soon as the weather changes.

1. Wash down your bathroom with one cup of lemon juice and a handful of salt, diluted in 4 litres of boiling hot water.
2. Wipe down your kitchen surfaces with vinegar or eucalyptus oil. Both of these liquids have mold-inhibiting properties
3. Put your pot plants outside during super-moldy weather, or douse the soil with water laced with apple cider vinegar or taheboo tea. The soil in your pot plants can harbour mold so deal with them immediately after an increase in humidity.
4. Remove soap scum from your shower and bath with a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar – soap scum serves as an anchor for mold, so eliminate it. Use a wet pumice stone to remove a serious build-up of soap scum.
5. Don’t throw away your old toothbrushes. Instead, keep them to clean the gaps between the tiles in your bathroom and kitchen to keep mold at bay.

We brainstormed our Top Ten romantic flicks, with a few art-house favorites thrown in:

An Affair to Remember

Call Me By Your Name

10 Things I Hate About You

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Amelie

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Shaun of the Dead

Manhattan

Carol

Brief Encounter

For the romantic at heart…

1. Think the colour red – give watermelon or dragon fruit, for example
2. For children, money inside a red envelope or lì xì. Make sure the notes are brand-new.
3. Orange or gold-coloured gifts are also great – two easy ideas are mandarins and pomegranates.
4. Wrap gifts in red or gold paper, or with red or gold ribbon
5. Scarves are an old favorite – you can’t go wrong, but don’t choose anything in white or black
6. A cumquat tree or a peach tree branch covered in blossom – everyone will love you for this
7. For old people, you can give a Dong Ho painting
8. Wine –  a winning idea, especially if it’s imported
9. Preserved fruit is hugely popular – candied coconut & ginger are definitely good choices
10. Nuts – peanuts are a bit lowbrow; instead choose cashews or pistachios. The more expensive, the better

Tet greetings

If you have mastered”Chúc mừng năm mới” (Happy New Year), you may like to try these faves:

“Tiền vô như nước” (Hope money flows in like water)

“Sống lâu trăm tuổi” (Hope you live 100 years)

“Vạn sự như ý” (Hoping all your wishes come true)

“Hay ăn chóng lớn  (Eat more, grow rapidly – only say this to children!)

“Năm mới, thắng lợi mới”  (New year, new triumphs)

Emporium – 172 Xuan Dieu St: Business as usual, open 9am to 8pm every day

Emporium – 39 Xuan Dieu St: Closed 4th, 5th & 6th February

Villa Eatalia: Closed 3rd & 4th FebruaryO

Body & Soul Spa, 84 To Ngoc Van St: Closed 3d to 10th February

Sushi Dokoro, 95 Xuan Dieu St: Closed from 3rd to 5th February

Cugini’s To Ngoc Van St: Closed 3rd to 8th February

The Kneipe, 52 To Ngoc Van St: Open every day

L’s Place – 1 Xuan Dieu St: Closes 4pm on 4th February, opens 10am on 8th Feb

El Gaucho 99 Xuan Dieu St: Open every day

One Dental Clinic: Closed 4th to 9th February

Bookworm, Chau Long St: Open every day

Intercontinental Hotel, Westlake: open every day

Starbucks Xuan Dieu: Closes 12:00 noon 4th Feb; Opens 12:00 noon 5th Feb

St Honore – 5 Xuan Dieu St: Closes afternoon of 4th Feb ; Re-opens 9th February

Hung Long Minimart 71B Xuan Dieu St – Closed 5th February, opens 8th February

Republic – 12 Quang An St- Feb 3 to Feb 8: 12pm to 22pm. Open as normal from 9/2

Chops – Quang An St: : Feb 3 to Feb 8: 12:00pm to 10:00pm. Open as normal from 9/2

SOS/Raffles Medical: Closed Feb 4 to Feb 8

Family Medical Practice: Open 24/7 ph. 024 3843 0748

O’Douceurs – 90 To Ngoc Van St: Closed 2nd to 12th February

Photographer Marcus Lacey found the answer:

Pigs are the twelfth sign of the Vietnamese zodiac and this coming year is a desirable time to have a baby, for pigs are a symbol of wealth. Pig years include 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 and of course 2019. People born during these lunar years are believed to be energetic, positive, generous and to have leadership potential. They love to enjoy themselves but are also hard working. Possibly their only fault is that they can be gullible. Pigs make great companions/spouses for people born in the Year of the Goat & Year of the Cat.

So let’s check these characteristics with a list of famous people born during the Year of the Pig: Ronald Reagan, Hillary Clinton, the current Dalai Lama, Mariah Carey, Elon Musk, Mark Wahlberg, Ewan Mcgregor & Kevin Spacey.

The mythical origins of bánh chưng, a traditional Tet food in Vietnam, go back to the sixth Hung King, whose son created the recipe for the steamed cake in a bid to become his father’s only heir. The green leaves that encase a bánh chưng represent the earth, reflecting the green forests, mountains and meadows of Vietnam. Inside the cake, hidden beneath a thick layer of sticky rice, are beans and pork, which are symbols of the earth’s plants and animals. During Tet, families make bánh chưng and offer them to their ancestors, and share them with friends. This year, you’ll know exactly what you’re biting into – a piece of Vietnamese heritage.