Hanoi’s cheap beer a backpacker’s delight

As the clock approaches 11 p.m. and most locals in Hanoi are settling into bed, the visiting backpacker crowd is just gearing up.

They make their way to Ta Hien Street in the Old Quarter to sit and converse outside one of the many bia hoi locations and of course, drink beer.

It may not be the fanciest of settings, but what the bia hoi beer gardens lack in luxury, they more than make up for in reasonable prices and good times.

Bia hoi is homemade Vietnamese beer and it doesn’t come much cheaper than this.

Served at modest roadside locations with no more decor than some plastic stools and flimsy folding tables out on the streets for customers, most don’t seem to mind the humble surroundings.

Lively street musicians and food vendors add to the ambiance, giving the experience a very local feel in what has come to be known as the “Backpacker Lane”.

The smell of grilled cuttlefish, boiled corn and steamed cassava wafts through the air as strangers clink glasses, commiserate and share stories of the day’s adventures.

Bia hoi has become especially popular with foreign crowds over the last decade or so.

One British traveler, named Kain, has come to Vietnam twice now and he never skips a night of good spirits and the chance to meet new people.

“It’s great!” he remarks. “Good beer for little money. In my homeland, a cheap pint still costs US$3.” On Ta Hien Street however, foreigners pay just VND2,000 ($0.12) for a huge tumbler of the homemade suds.

Ta Hien Street has become distinguished from other backpacker areas becaof its many bia hoi locations lined up along the pavement with six of the wholesalers clustered close together.

“I opened my bia hoi in 1990” says Luc, one of the beer merchants on Ta Hien Street, as he pours a drink for one of his customers.

“In the daytime I drive a pedicab. At night I sell beer.” Luc recalls that most of the bia hoi locations on Ta Hien Street began popping up in the early 1990’s.

Shortly thereafter, Western backpackers began flocking to the area thanks to word-of-mouth and local tour guides’ recommendations.

Weary travelers looking to relax, as well as those looking for some excitement and liveliness can be sure to find what they're looking for at any one of Hanoi’s local beer gardens.

Indeed, nothing brings people together – from all walks of life – better than cheap refreshments and the promise of a good time.

Source ThanhnienNews