Bia hoi in Vietnam is kind of local fresh beer. It is funny that “bia” sounds exactly the same as “beer” in English. However, there are reasons why this country is famous for its Bia hoi. Try Bia hoi must be on the to-do list when you travel to Vietnam, one of Mekong River countries. The following are some interesting facts to explain.
Cheapest beer in the world
According to Foodiggity Magazine, while Nail Ale is the most expensive beer in the world with the price of $800 a bottle, Vietnamese Bia hoi is the cheapest beer with the quality still ensured. It costs you only $0.2 for a cup of 400ml. Maybe the reason goes that it is cook in the very simple way. All we need is rice and brewing it without preservatives. Indochina tours Vietnam
Bia hoi is everywhere
The best way to enjoy Bia hoi in Vietnam is on the street. It is very easy to find a Bia hoi shop in Vietnam. Although there are many of them, they seems not to meet the demands of the local people. It is because all those Bia hoi shops are crowded all the time, both weekdays and weekends. There also many enjoyable beer shops with good US UK music and Western food which are really worth trying.
Slogans to drink
When Vietnamese drink bia hoi, they often raise their cup and say at the same time “100%” or literally “bottom up”. You also can here every beer shop “1, 2, 3 Zo! 1, 2, 3 Zo! 1, 2, 3, drink!” It is a part of beer drinking culture of Vietnamese people. Those words are just like slogan for them to drink every single time.
Soul mates of Bia hoi
They are called soul mates of Bia hoi because you can not completely enjoy the pleasures of having Vietnamese beer without them. They are local snacks such as dau phong (peanuts), cha gio (fried spring rolls), canh ga chien (fried chicken wings), muc kho (dried squid), etc. There are just such many kinds of them that cannot list out in one article.
Feel free
In Vietnam, it is legal to drink Bia hoi as much as you want no matter how drunk you are. Even this kind of fresh beer is quite light; you should not try them with empty stomach. Control yourself anyway.
You have never been in Vietnam if you don’t try Bia hoi. Here is a list of Vietnam tours to enjoy an interesting experience of drinking bia hoi on the street:
The Indochina Voyages team.
