Tips and Tidbits

MEDICAL TIP - A gentle reminder - if you haven't registered yourself and family members with one of the health centers here, it is highly recommended you do so. Also, enter the emergency contact number for your chosen hospital/clinic in your mobile phone and post it in your home. It could save valuable time should you ever need it for an accident or in an emergency. You don't want to have to look it up phone numbers in a crisis!!!

SECURITY STRATEGY TIP - it's a real gem!
No one ever anticipates or wants to lose their handbag or wallet, by whatever means. The challenge of replacing documents like residency cards, and cancelling credit cards or bank cards can be even more daunting when you're living abroad. As soon as you finish reading this simple tip, remove all such articles from your wallet and photocopy them - both sides. Photocopy anything you would have to replace. Store these in your safe or other protected location. If you ever have the misfortune to need this information, you will have it compiled to make easier work of dealing with the loss. Do your hubby's wallet, too!

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIP - During peak periods ( more specifically -Tet and Christmas) flights 'home' or to vacation destinations become scarcer than, what shall we use here?, snow in Saigon; the later you wait - the harder seats are to find. Word to the wise - Book NOW or risk disappointment!!! Ditto for return flights at the end of the summer.

If your travel includes domestic flights within the US, contact your carrier for luggage allowances and fees. They vary greatly! See Baggage fees for more information.

BRINGING YOUR PET INTO VIETNAM - One of our members has written about her experience on bringing a dog into Vietnam from the USA.

Click here for her story

So now you tell me!

Adding salt to water after it has boiled reduces staining of metal pots and pans.
Liquid chlorine bleach mixed 1 teaspoon part to 1 cup water is an effective treatment for nail fungus. Apply with a dropper or swab the affected nail with the mixture 2 x a day, let it dry. Continue until it clears (usually 3 weeks). Mind the drips!!! And never use undiluted bleach on your skin - it burns.
Slow the tarnish on your good silver in this humid climate. Tie up a few pieces of school chalk in cheesecloth and store them with your cutlery or silver jewelry. Available at Fahasa and stationery shops.
Mayonaise acts as an adhesive remover that banishes old stickers from mirrors, glass, and bumpers. Apply a generous helping to persistent adhesives and coax off with a flexible putty knife.
Calm insect bites with three crushed aspirin and a few drops of water—enough to make a paste. Apply mixture to the bite. Leave on for two minutes, then rinse with cool water. Repeat twice daily until pain and itching stop.
Dandruff solution - Mix 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar with one quart of water and use as a final rinse after shampooing, twice weekly. "The vinegar's acidity reduces the natural pH of the scalp," explains one doctor. "And this creates an unfriendly environment for yeast that tend to overpopulate the head and cause dandruff." Especially in the tropics!!!