Vocab:

Ngày (day)

Hôm kia (the day before yesterday)

Hôm qua (yesterday)

Hôm nay (today)

Ngày mai (tomorrow)

Ngày kia (the day after tomorrow)

Putting it in a sentence:

Hôm nay là ngày bao nhiêu? (What’s the date today?)

Hôm nay là ngày mùng sáu (Today is the 6^th )

Ngày mai tôi phải đi làm (Tomorrow I must work)

Hôm qua tôi đã nghỉ (I had the day off yesterday)

Hôm kia tôi đã đi bơi (I went swimming the day before yesterday)

Hôm nay là ngày lễ  (Today is a public holiday)

Source: www.adamrileyphotography.com

Apparently feasting and fasting before you embark on a long-haul plane flight reduces jet-lag. The science behind the idea is that if you upset your body’s Circadian rhythm by changing your eating habits before flying, your body clock will re-set faster at your destination. Here’s how to do it:

4^th day before you fly: Feast on proteins for breakfast & lunch; eat a high-carb dinner. Sweet desserts are fine. Avoid meat. No coffee except between 3pm & 5pm

3^rd day before you fly: Fast on salads, clear soups, fruit & juice. If you really need carbs, try ½ a slice of bread, no butter. No coffee except between 3pm & 5pm

2^nd day before you fly: Feast again

The day you fly: Fast again. Avoid carbs and limit proteins & fats. Try not to eat during the flight, but drink plenty of water to keep your body & skin hydrated. Definitely NO ALCOHOL.

When you arrive at your destination, continue to fast until breakfast time. Eat a high-protein brekkie.

Yes, this method sounds weird, but thousands of shift workers and soldiers swear by it, so why not give it a try.

Source: http://www.netlib.org/misc/jet-lag-diet

We’ve written about Vietnamese funeral etiquette in a previous blog post, but there are a number of interesting rituals that Vietnamese families hold after a funeral, including:

Taking rice to the grave of the deceased for the first 49 days. This practice helps to keep the deceased person very present in the lives of remaining family members and demonstrates respect for the departed.

A memorial service called  Lễ chung tất is held on the 49^th day, to help relatives grieve and remember the dead, and another on the 100^th day after the death. This day is called tot khoc and it signifies the end of tears. One year after the death, an anniversary feast is held, and this continues each year.

After 3 years, the body of the deceased is exhumed and the bones are cleaned and neatly arranged in a small box which is then reburied in a shrine. This ritual is generally performed by family members, but professionals can be employed to do this task.

The period of mourning can vary from two to three years, and during this time, close relatives should not make plans to marry.

Photos: https://dannybach.wordpress.com/project-tag/exhumation/

Source: https://www.vsp.vn/

Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre news agency recently ran a story on child labour in far northern Vietnam. Reporters discovered a group of Hmong ethnic minority children from Ha Giang province who do an unofficial night-shift at an antimony mine. The kids work all night sifting through the mine’s tailings dump, scavenging pieces of antimony and selling them to ore traders, who pay from 15,000 vnd to 30,000 vnd per kilo. On a good night, children might find and sell 2 or 3 kilos. Needless to say, the children are not turning up to school because they’re exhausted from working all night long.

How can we take action on this issue? 2 charities in Hanoi deal specifically with this issue. Blue Dragon fights child labour, and Project Sprouts sponsors Hmong families in Ha Giang province.

Blue Dragon: https://www.bluedragon.org/what-we-do/

Project Sprouts: www.project-sprouts.com/

Source:

http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/41779/life-as-ore-scavengers-for-ethnic-minority-children-in-northern-vietnam