Ta Hien's Beer

Ta Hien Street in Hanoi’s centre is famous among tourists and expats. This small street in the heart of Phố Cổ - Hanoi Old Quarter - hosts dozens of sidewalk ‘bia hoi’ (draught beer) sites that draw a diverse crowd of customers. 

It is often said of Ta Hien that it is the first street that backpackers visit when they arrive in Hanoi and the last place they see before they leave. Located near the offices of travel firms are dozens of restaurants serving ‘foreign’ food and service centers for travelers. However, in the eyes of foreign visitors and resident expats, Ta Hien is most attractive for its ‘bia hoi.’

At the intersection of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets, four bia hoi stands are always crowded with a widely diverse group of low budget tourists and other young foreigners who have settled down in Hanoi for a while. When sunset falls, these “international bia hoi corner” establishments come alive.

Fresh beer ( or our language is called “bia tươi”, “bia hơi”) is the cheapest drinking in Vietnam. We drink beer with some local snack such as: roasted peanuts¸ many kind of local spring rolls, grilled squid. That’s delicious for hot summer day.

Only “Bia hoi” dose not make Hanoi’s culture. You can find “bia hoi” in every Beer’s restaurant in Vietnam. However, sitting in the corner in Ta Hien Street, drinking beer, chatting and feeling the colorful atmosphere that local people and foreign tourists wall along street. All of these things make Ta Hien’s beer culture in Hanoi.