How to spend Christmas?

Christmas clipart

If you are wondering how to spend your Christmas, read on for a few ideas to get you started

Deck the halls -Christmas carols
  • Deck your hall with these DIY lovely Christmas stocking, an essential part of any Christmas Decoration and perfect way to bring in the Christmas cheers.

Christmas-stockings-decoration
Christmas stockings decoration

If you want Santa to bring you a wonderful gift, you have to make sure your Christmas stocking is decorated properly with an expert in a fun workshop.

Learn something new to deck up your hall this Christmas with these alternative DIY Christmas tree craft made out of paper, wood, card board and balloons.

Wood Art Christmas Tree
Wood Art Christmas Tree

These pop-up Christmas trees are fun to make and will bring warmth to the festive décor


Where is this happening?

DIY Christmas Stocking & Alternative Christmas Tree Making Workshop
@ Growel’s 101 Mall

Date: 22nd & 24th December 2018

Venue: Growel’s 101 Mall, Kandivali East

Time: 4 to 6 pm


Each cake is handmade and is a perfect balance between cake, nuts, fruit and rum. These rich, dark and moist fruitcakes are baked slowly and aged in small batches under the careful supervision of the Trappist monks in Ava, Missouri.

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But hurry and order your fruitcake now, because quantities are limited! Or give an originalDresdner Reimann Stollenin a festive gift tin. Each stollen is hand-made in Emil Reimann’s Backerei in Dresden, Germany and is affixed with a seal of quality from the Dresdner’s Baker’s Guild. This cherished Christmas cake is made with fresh butter, eggs, raisins and candied fruit.

Holiday

This holiday gift special is a cake lovers dream! Plus you save too! Select any of delicious 28 oz coffee cakes at the regular price and get a second 28 oz coffee cake of your choice for half price.

Choose from Signature Traditional Cinnamon Walnut, Blueberry, Chocolate Walnut,
Apple Walnut,
Banana Walnut, Lower Fat Cinnamon Walnut and No Walnut Cinnamon Coffee Cakes.And order early.

  • Gift teas to your loved ones
The Perfect Christmas Gift Teas

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Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

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  • Spend this festive season at

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Have yourself a Merry little Christmas carol
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Eat Like A Local In Vietnam – How And What To Hunt For

Vietnamese Southern Crispy Pancake, street food Vietnam

Vietnam is famous for not only for beautiful sceneries but also delicious street foods.

Each region in this country has its specialities, through the coastal to the mountainous area. However, do you know how to eat street food in Vietnam in a professional way? Keep reading this article to understand how Vietnamese locals enjoy their street foods.

Special Skills To Eat Like A Local

  • Using Chopsticks And Spoon
Pho Vietnamese street food

Vietnamese people often hold chopsticks on the right hand and spoon on the other to eat, mainly when they eat “Pho” – a famous traditional food of Vietnam. The chopsticks are used to twirl up noodles, while the spoon is used to place the broth. It seems to be difficult the first time; however, you should practice it to enjoy Vietnamese street food correctly.

  • Eating Right Foods At Right Hour

The Vietnamese often spend one hour in the morning having breakfast, from 07:00 am to 08:00 am, with foods such as bread and “Pho.” Their lunch lasts from 11:30 am to 01:00 pm and the duration from 05:00 pm to 06:30 pm is for dinner. The first advice is that you should have meals at this time. You can eat at a different time, but it is not like a local.

Lunch and dinner are the main meals of Vietnamese people with four vital nutrients, including sugar, protein, fat, and vegetables. A traditional meal in the Vietnamese family is lovely thanks to diversified colours and good decoration. Therefore, if you have a chance to enjoy a traditional family meal in Vietnam, you must be fortunate.

  • Sitting On Tiny Plastic Chairs
plastic chairs Vietnam

If you have been familiar with eating in luxurious restaurants, sitting on a tiny plastic chair to eat street food will bring you special feelings. You may wonder why you have to stay in this kind of uncomfortable chair. The answer is that it is a part of the street food culture in this small but beautiful country. It will not be street food if you do not choose such a sitting.

  • Drinking Iced Tea (Trà Đá) Together

In Vietnam, there is a kind of drink for everything that is iced tea or “trà đá.” Never think about drinking beer if you want to be a local eater as Vietnamese people all drink “trà đá.” Moreover, this tea is very safe because it is boiled before being served. If you do not like iced tea, you can order the hot one. It is also worth trying.

  • Following The Crowd

A significant rule for eating like a local in Vietnam is to follow the crowd. The crowded stores often go with a good reputation; therefore, you will enjoy the best flavour of food here. Moreover, because of the humid climate of Vietnam, food becomes stale very quickly, you may get a stomach-ache after eating in the less-crowded restaurants.

Northern Vietnam

  • Noodle Soup (Phở)
Vietnamese ice tea

Among the list of Vietnamese specialities, noodle soup should always be listed as the top one. This dish is made from fresh rice noodle, salty broth, herbs, chicken or beef, and so on. A bowl of cheap but tasty “Phở” nowadays becomes a familiar food for every tourist arriving in the North of Vietnam.

  • La Vong Grilled Fish Pie (Chả Cá Lã Vọng)
La Vong Grilled Fish pie- Vietnam travel

La Vong grilled fish pie was created at the time of the French. It is the combination of sliced snakehead, turmeric, galangal, pepper, ferment, and fish sauce. This eating will be of the most delicious when it is hot. You can eat La Vong grilled fish pie together with vermicelli, toasted rice pancake, shrimp paste, and fresh chopped small onions. It is said to be one of the most worth-trying dishes in Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam.

  • Vietnamese Grilled Meat Vermicelli (Bún Chả)
Vietnamese Grilled Meat Vermicelli, street food Vietnam

Bún Chả” can be made from grilled chopped roll meat pie or pieces and vermicelli. This dish uses pig shoulder meat, which is marinated in fish sauce, pepper, salt, sugar, vegetable oil, and chopped dried onions. To make it more sophisticated, some people even wrap meat pies in banana leaves. You can enjoy Vietnamese grilled meat vermicelli with fresh vegetables and herbs. Also, combine with fried spring rolls (which is called Nem in Vietnamese) if you like.

  • West Lake Crispy Shrimp Cake (Bánh Tôm Hồ Tây)
Shrimp fried pancake of West Lake-Vietnam

Crispy shrimp cake is made from shrimp caught in West Lake and flour. After wrapping shrimp in flour, they start to fry in a hot pan full of cooking oil. It is ready to eat when the cake becomes yellow and soufflé. This cake is served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce made with sliced thin green papaya and carrot. You can eat this cake with vermicelli, but it is best to drink beer while enjoying “Bánh Tôm Hồ Tây.”

Central Vietnam

  • Hue Beef Noodle (Bún Bò Huế)
Hue beef noodle soup Da Nang - Bún bò Huế Đà Nẵng | by HoianFoodtour Vietnam street food

This is one of the most savoury Vietnamese noodle soup. Hue beef noodle is made from braised beef, vermicelli rice noodles, green vegetables, and herbs. Although it is popular among central Vietnamese province, Hue is the best place for you to enjoy the original taste of this eating.

  • Quang Noodle (Mì Quảng)
Mi Quang at Ngoc Mai (with noodles uncovered)

Quang noodle is a speciality from Quang Nam province, Vietnam. Like “Phở” or vermicelli, “Mì Quảng” is also made from rice, but it is a little bit softer than vermicelli. Quang noodle has a yellow colour, which comes from food colouring or annatto oil. Broth to make Quang noodle is also unique with some shrimp, meat, and peanut. Nowadays, you can easily find this eating in every province of Vietnam. So, remember to give it a try when you have a chance to go to Vietnam.

Southern Vietnam

  • Mixed Rice Paper (Bánh Tráng Trộn)
Mixed rice paper salad, street food Vietnam

Mixed rice paper is a rustic dish of the youth in Ho Chi Minh City. Materials to make mixed rice paper are straightforward, including sour mango fibres, laksa leaves, kumquat juice, dried beef, shrimp salt, and of course, julienned rice paper sheets. All of these ingredients are mixed well together until rice paper becomes soft. “Bánh tráng trộn” is not only delicious but also eye-catching thanks to the red colour created by dried beef and shrimp salt. For every Saigon citizen, mixed rice paper is a street food of the lifetime.

  • Vietnamese Southern Crispy Pancake (Bánh Xèo Nam Bộ)
Vietnamese Southern Crispy Pancake, street food Vietnam

Vietnamese southern crispy pancake, which is also called sizzling cake is a traditional dish from the South of Vietnam. Its name “sizzling” or “xèo” starts from the sound created when people make this cake. Through many years of development and cultural transferring, “Bánh xèo” is changed in each area to fit the flavour of local people. For example, “Bánh xèo” in Ho Chi Minh City is crispy and rolled with fresh vegetables and herbs, while the one in Binh Dinh province is quite soft and crispy in the border only. Vietnamese people eat sizzling cake all year round but the most wonderful time to enjoy is autumn and winter when the weather is cold.

Above is some useful advice for you on how to eat street food in Vietnam like a local. Also, there are some suggestions on what you should eat when arriving in this beautiful country. Remember that these foods are nowadays available in big cities of Vietnam, so you can enjoy southern specialities in Hanoi or other northern provinces and vice versa.

Have you ever been to Vietnam? If yes, share with us your experience on what you have done or eaten. If no, hope our article was useful to you. Thanks for reading!


I am Emily Pham. I was born in Vietnam – a country with many unknown beaches, historic sites, and tourist attractions. Understanding that Vietnam nowadays is a famous destination, I establish the blog site vina.com with the purpose of introducing the elegant beauty of Vietnam to friends around the world. If you are planning a trip to Vietnam, our blog will provide you with essential information on where to go and what to do in our country.


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Enjoy X’ Mas Special Brunch

Xmas Celebration at The Resort Mumbai

Christmas is the time to celebrate and be merry and The Resort is going to be the perfect venue for your special Christmas celebration. The buffet will include a wide variety of soups, starters, main course dishes and delectable drinks. That’s not all, along with the sumptuous food, the brunch buffet package also includes, a refreshing swim at the pool.

swimming pool at the resort
swimming pool at the resort

Enjoy and celebrate the spirit of Christmas with your loved ones and treat yourself to mouth-watering #Christmas special buffet brunch

The Menu will offer Chef Sheriyar’s Special which includes

  • Yummy cuisines like Prawn Cocktail,
  • Crab salad with kalamata olives, roast chicken with mustard and mushroom jus,
  • Fish in yellow bean sauce,
  • Roasted chicken tossed with pickled vegetable,
  • Thai lamb with glass noodle,
  • Smoked chicken with couscous and roasted peppers,
  • Turkey ham with plum relish.
  • Soup section includes New England clam chowder, Mushroom lemon coriander broth with varieties of breads like grissini focaccia, Ciabatta, Melba, French loaf, lavash (display), multigrain and assorted soft rolls.
Roast Chicken Roulade, Christmas brunch
Roast Chicken Roulade

Delectable vegetarian cuisines include

  • Stuffed roasted jacket potatoes,
  • Herbed goat cheese soft polenta,
  • Corn on the cobs,
  • Honey glazed carrot Vichy,
  • Brussels sprouts,
  • Sicilian roast pumpkin,
  • Primavera baked and Baked onions with Mouth-watering treats like Mince Pie, Dundee Cake, Plum Cake, Ginger Pudding, Egg tarts, Bundt Cake and Tiramisu to relish on.

So, join and feast on yummy Christmas Brunch along with a stunning view of the tranquil beach.

X’ Mas Special Brunch BuffetWhat: ‘X’ Mas Special Brunch Buffet’

Where: The High-Tide restaurant, atThe Resort, Madh-Marve, Mumbai

When: 24th & 25th December 2018

Cuisine on offer: Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian

Time: 7:30 to 11:30 pm and 12:30 to 3:30 pm

Call: 022- 2844 7777

Travel hacks to make a long haul flight enjoyable

sky plane long haul flight

Life on the airplane is a life of its own! Do whatever you can to keep yourself busy!

During long-haul flights I recommend:

Long haul flight
Long haul Bailey Cheng
  • Watch 2 movies on the entertainment screen.
  • Read almost a whole e-book on my Kindle
  • Sort some pictures in my digital camera.
  • Play a few games on my smartphone.
  • Have a nap (or two).
  • Speak to a neighbour.
  • Stare at some fellow passengers 🙂 secretly, of course.
  • Eat a few snacks, have a few drinks.
  • Stretch in the toilet area, walk in the aisle.
  • Inspect the toilet, check how much paper there was, do a little dance, stretch again, just fool around.

It’s a good idea to do everything separately – don’t try to multitask. If you are eating, don’t watch a movie at the same time. When the meal is served, take your time and just eat, as slow as possible. It will pass 30 minutes at least. Also make sure not to drink too much, avoid alcohol (as it will dehydrate your body and make it difficult to sleep, as you will be waking up all the time with your mouth dry).

Drinking alcohol on long haul flight
Cabin attendant offers a drink

You may like to read What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Alcohol on a Plane?

Finally, think of some story and write it down. If you don’t own a blog or a diary, just post it on your Facebook. Share your thoughts! In today’s fast-paced world we hardly get to slow down and think about our life – this could be a perfect time!

More tips:How to survive a long flight

How to avoid a jet lag

  1. Adjust your internal clock.
    Several days (at least four) before departure, gradually shift your sleeping and eating times to coincide with those at your destination. Once you arrive, adopt the local time for your daily routine.
  2. Opt for overnight flights.
    You’ll have dinner at a normal time and be much more likely to sleep than on an afternoon flight. Depending on the length of the flight and the number of time zones you cross, you’ll arrive at your destination in the morning or afternoon. This is the best way to replicate your normal schedule, and it’ll be easier for you to reset your clock.

Happy travels!

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