{"id":2332,"date":"2026-05-01T17:34:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T08:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/column\/vietnam-bia-hoi-guide\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T17:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T08:45:07","slug":"vietnam-bia-hoi-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/travel-guide\/vietnam-bia-hoi-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The complete bia h\u01a1i guide | Hanoi\u2019s 60-yen-a-glass draft beer culture you have to experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a Hanoi night, the scene of drinking draft beer at about 60 yen a glass while squeezed together on plastic chairs is a distinctly Vietnamese culture that leaves a powerful impression on tourists. \"Bia Hoi\" means \"fresh beer\" in Vietnamese\u2014a world's-cheapest-class draft beer brewed each morning and drunk up within the day. In this article, we compile, from a resident's perspective, what you'll want to know before visiting: the true nature of bia hoi, how to walk Hanoi's bia hoi street \"Ta Hien Street,\" recommended stalls, snacks, and even the safety and manners tourists should grasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you're also curious about Hanoi's craft beer, seethe complete Hanoi craft beer guide<\/a>; for eating your way through the night, see12 Hanoi food-crawl spots<\/a>is also worth referring to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is Bia Hoi? A day-only, morning-brewed draft beer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bia hoi is a draft beer that spread in northern Vietnam after the French colonial era, \"brewed in the morning and drunk up within the day.\" A piece of wisdom from an age when cold-storage equipment wasn't widespread, a rotating sales style took hold in which kegged beer is delivered to town stalls each morning and sold out by evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low alcohol 3\u20134%, a light mouthfeel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bia hoi's alcohol content is 3\u20134%, lighter than canned beer (around 5%), designed to be gulped down in Vietnam's muggy climate. With an easy-to-drink, grainy taste using malt, hops, and rice, even first-timers get used to it right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world's-cheapest class at about 10,000 VND (about 60 yen) a glass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The price for one mug (about 330 ml) is a standard 10,000\u201315,000 VND (about 60\u201390 yen). There's no beer in this price range even in neighboring countries like Thailand and Cambodia, and after CNN introduced it as \"the world's cheapest draft beer,\" it became known to tourists all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charm of the \"freshness\" poured straight from the keg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It's distinguished by a cloudy texture poured straight from the keg, not found in bottled or canned beer. The style of adding ice to chill it is Vietnamese too, and the icy mug feeling really hits the spot on a hot night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to walk Hanoi's \"bia hoi street,\" Ta Hien Street<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

T\u1ea1 Hi\u1ec7n (Ta Hien) Street in Hanoi's old town is one of the world's most famous bia hoi streets, where more than 20 bia hoi stalls line up within just 200 m. At the T\u1ea1 Hi\u1ec7n \u00d7 L\u01b0\u01a1ng Ng\u1ecdc Quy\u1ebfn intersection, called \"Bia Hoi Corner,\" chairs are lined up across the whole street at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n