Wondering what to Christmas gifts to  buy for your VN friends? Before you hit the shops, it’s good to know what’s on the taboo list. We discovered some gifts (apart from the commonly known ones like scissors, clocks and knives) that you really shouldn’t by Vietnamese people:

Chrysanthemums: these are only bought to put on the altar  and should never be given as gifts

White flowers of any description (white flowers are reserved for the funerals of people who die before they are married)

4 of anything ie 4 coasters, 4 cups etc. Instead buy a set in these numbers: 3, 5 or 10

Anything black – it’s the colour of death

Fruit hampers are a great idea, but never include bananas – not sure why. Anyone who knows, please write in and inform us!

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s wedding season in Hanoi and one of the busiest streets at the moment is Hang Than – aka Wedding Street. We spotted these amazing fruit sculptures last week and of course had to find out what they’re for. The bird-like sculpture is actually a phoenix, and the scary-looking one is a dragon. Before a wedding takes place, the groom’s family takes these 2 gifts to the bride’s parents’ house and they formally ask to the woman’s hand in marriage and settle of a wedding date. This practise is merely a formality these days, for both families would have already consulted fortune tellers way before this ceremony takes place, in order to choose the luckiest date for the wedding. 

• white wine 3 bottles
• cloudy apple juice 500ml
• elderflower cordial 250ml
• lemons 2, then juiced
• vanilla pods 2, split down the centre lengthways
• golden caster or granulated sugar 200g
• soda to serve
• ice to serve

• Put all the ingredients into your largest pan, then bring very gently to a simmer. As soon as the liquid reaches simmering point, turn off the heat and leave the mixture to infuse as it cools to room temperature.
• Once at room temperature, decant into a large glass drink dispenser, jug, or back into the wine bottles, and chill until ready to serve. To serve, fish out the vanilla pods, pour into tumblers with lots of ice, and top up with soda water, if you like.

Following our story last week on Hanoi’s water pollution crisis, we investigated where Hanoi’s tap water actually comes from.  80% of water used in our homes comes from groundwater, and the other 20% from rivers like the Da River, via the Gia Lam Water Treatment Plant, a Japanese-funded initiative.  The ground water has several major pollutants, including arsenic, ammonia and e-coli, while the river water, as we know from events last week, contains industrial effluent. 98% of rivers and lakes here fail to meet minimum water purity standards, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The good news is that at least water goes through a treatment plant before it reaches our homes, but the bad news is that water treatment plants are on a tight budget, and they apparently don’t have the funds to treat water to world standards. There’s talk that last week’s Da River water contamination was detected by the treatment plant, but management of the plant deemed it too expensive to filter the toxins out of the water, and thus allowed the water to flow onto consumers containing styrene, a carcinogenic chemical.

 Many water supply systems in Vietnam are now privately owned and we can only hope that government officials inspect these facilities more rigorously and impose huge penalties on companies that knowingly pass on contaminated water to residents.

Living in a hot, humid city like Hanoi, we often feel tempted to store all our fruits and vegetables in the fridge to stop them from perishing. While this storage method will prolong the shelf life of many fresh foods, there are some foods that should be kept unrefrigerated:

Melons: watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew melons etc should be stored at room temperature until cut open. After then, they will keep tolerably well in a fridge for a few days.

Potatoes: don’t be tempted to refrigerate them ever. Just pop them in the pantry, away from light, and they’ll be fine

Garlic & onions: they’ll go mushy if you keep them in the fridge. Store them in a drawer or cupboard. 

Tomatoes: leave them in the fridge and they’ll quickly lose their taste. Keep them at room temperature for best results

Nuts: same as tomatoes

Honey: leave in on the shelf in your pantry. Don’t worry about it – it will keep for ages outside the fridge

Coffee: it’s tempting to put it inside the fridge to extend its shelf-life, but resist the urge. Buy small amounts at a time and keep it in a well-sealed canister

Air quality is a common conversation topic at the moment in Hanoi and the source of a lot of angst too. Where can we get trustworthy and reliable information on the air we’re breathing in?

https://vn.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/embassy/air-quality-monitor/

The US Embassy measures air quality at 19/21 Hai Bà Trưng in Hoan Kiem District. It updates reading every hour and uses the following table as a guide:

https://vn.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/embassy/air-quality-monitor/

UNIS Hanoi measures air pollution from its campus in Ciputra and posts updates here: https://tso.unishanoi.org/aqi/

For a break-down of air pollutants, visit the German Embassy website: http://hanoiair.de/en_US/

We looked at several websites and apps that claim to map Hanoi’s air quality, like: http://www.fairnet.vn/  but the readings are very inconsistent and often don’t correspond with the readings from trusted stations like the US Embassy.

Thanks to Saigoneer for unearthing this set of vintage stamps depicting colonial Vietnam

There’s a huge range in taxi prices in Hanoi. A trip from Tay Ho to Ba Dinh can cost as little as 70k and as much as 140k and still be legitimate. Companies such as G7 offer fares at the lower end of the spectrum, while a Taxi Group 7-seater could cost more than double.

Sometimes, however, we find ourselves in a taxi with a meter that’s running like a fan. If you’re confident that you’re being swindled, follow these steps:

1. Show no alarm, emotion or any signs that you’re shocked about the price. Keep a poker face and don’t stare at the meter.
2. Tell the driver that you’ve changed your mind about your destination, apologise profusely and direct him to a hotel. If you can’t speak Vietnamese, it pays to always carry the card of a hotel that’s close to your home.
3. When you arrive at the hotel, the porter will of course open the door to your taxi. Kindly ask the porter to deal with your problem. Porters are used to dealing with problems like this and invariably take your side if you’re clearly being scammed.
4. While the porter is assisting you, take a photo of the taxi’s number plate and the driver’s ID card, which should be mounted on the dashboard. This will show the driver that you intend to report him.
5. Pay the taxi driver what the ride should have cost you – discovering you have a scamming taxi driver does not mean you don’t have to pay anything.
6. Email the photos of the offending taxi and driver to the taxi company so that they know they have a dishonest employee on their books. Companies do want to know about shonky drivers, as they stand to lose their operating licence if caught by the transport police.  Reporting scams will help to eradicate dodgy drivers & we will all benefit from that.

Simple actions can have a huge impact

Sustainability is the catch-cry of the year and if you haven’t got aboard this ship, there’s no time like the present. Make just a few small changes in your life and you can save resources.

1. Next time you stay in a hotel, grab the shower cap! These amazing little things can be reused hundreds of times as food covers. Now you don’t need plastic clingfilm in your kitchen! These shower caps are also handy for dog owners – use them as an emergency water bowl.

2. Keep you phone on airplane mode as often as possible. This will save energy AND when you charge your phone while it’s on airplane mode, it will take only a fraction of the time.

3. If you’re not already vegetarian, join the Meatless Monday Movement and don’t eat meat one day per week. Cows are one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases, so eating less steak will have a direct effect on air quality.

4. There’s really no need to buy commercial cleaning fluids. You can clean just about any surface with one or more of these: lemon, vinegar & baking soda. Look here for recipes

5. Re-use old newspapers to clean your windows, instead of using paper towel. Newspaper gives by far a better finish too!

6. Don’t throw away your snagged or laddered stockings and pantyhose. They can be used as sleeves to keep posters and wrapping paper rolled up.

Our blog post last week on beating jet lag with herbal tea received loads of interest & comments, so we decided to investigate the topic of jet lag cures in greater depth this week. Here’s what we found:

Light: Sunlight tells your body clock when it’s time to wake up, and darkness signals that it’s time to sleep. When you arrive home, make sure you spend as much time outside in the elements as possible, so that your body takes its cues to wake 7 sleep. No matter how tired you are during the day, pull yourself together and go for a walk outside – and leave your sunglasses behind. You’ll be rewarded with a better night’s sleep. 

Say No to airline food: Refusing to eat airline food will not only help to save the planet by reducing packaging waste – it will also help you to avoid jet lag. Airline food is notoriously full of oil and quick carbohydrates, neither of which will do you any favours on the flight. Instead, drink copious amounts of water and avoid alcohol. When you arrive at your destination, if it’s breakfast time, eat a healthy, high-protein brekkie and have a cup of coffee to keep you awake.  If you arrive during the evening, a big meal once you land will help you sleep.  

Stay hydrated: A large part of jet lag is due to dehydration, which starts the minute you get on a plane. It’s exacerbated if you start drinking alcohol in the departure lounge or during your flight. Just say no to alcohol, and drink at least 1 litre of water every 3 hours. Some people report that electrolyte drinks and powders can keep jet lag at bay – it’s definitely worth trying this remedy to see if it works for you.

Showering: If you arrive at your destination in the morning, have a cold shower as soon as you get home. Your body will be reminded that it’s morning time. Conversersely, if you arrive home in the evening, a nice hot shower will signal to your body that it’s bedtime.