Bia Hoi is a type of draft beer that is very popular in Vietnam. It is freshly brewed on a daily basis with no added preservatives and is delivered to beer joints every day in steel barrels.
In my earlier blog post [Hanoi Night Market – For bargain shopping, cheap booze & free entertainment], I had introduced Ta Hien Street in the Old Quarter which is the famous beer street in Hanoi. There, you can find bia hoi as cheap as 5,000 VND (SGD0.30).
Bia Hoi is a lighter beer compared to most other beers with an alcohol content of about 3% so you’d have to drink more than your usual to get tipsy. By the way, the production of bia hoi is a very informal (homemade) process and it’s not monitored by health authorities so consumption is at your own risk. Not a big issue so long you don’t drink beer at dodgy-looking places.
We were recommended this beer joint by a local guy. There weren’t any tourists when we were there and it looked like a regular neighbourhood beer place meant for the locals which was exactly what we were looking for.
Bia Lan Chin
22 Hang Tre
Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Vietnam
Tel: +84 4 3824 1138
Opening hours: 9.30am to 10.00pm daily
Facebook page
The moment we were seated, we were handed a thick menu book with all kinds of dishes that would go pretty well with beer. As we weren’t hungry after all that prior food-hopping, we only ordered beer. Each glass of bia hoi cost 15,000 VND.
Though this wasn’t the cheapest beer we had in Hanoi, it was still very cheap at under SGD1. Comparing to some of the beers we had elsewhere, this bia hoi was very cold and refreshing, frothy and sweet – my kind of beer. ??
We wanted to order peanuts to go with our beer but as the staff couldn’t communicate with us in English, we had to show her a picture of peanuts on Google. And she immediately brought us a plate of peanuts (5,000 VND). The peanuts weren’t the crispy type as they seemed to have been boiled as the shells were moist and the nuts were slightly soft.
This side of the Old Quarter was more peaceful than the other main streets hence making Bia Lan Chin a great watering hole to chill out, without the hectic traffic and polluted air. Worth coming if you’re looking for somewhere to drink. 😉