Alcohol in Vietnam

For alcohol that is local to Vietnam, there are only three types: rice spirits, red wine and beer.

Red Wine

The red wine is simple and sweet and all of it comes from the mountains of Dalat. If you are looking for the complex flavorful wines. Then you will spend too much money for something from Europe or Australia. Red wine, Scotch, and Cognac are not enjoyed, even by most of the people who buy it and drink it, it is more a status symbol to show off wealth and status.

Rice Wine

The rice wine of Vietnam is a bit different that what you see in Japan, Korea, or China. It is more traditional. Many will buy the basic rice wine then flavor it in a jar with other ingredients. You can also buy the wine with the other ingredients inside. Some of the ingredients are scorpions, cobras, herbs, spices, and roots. The rice wine flavor is not as shattering and jarring as Chinese rice wine, but it is not smooth like Korean or Japanese rice wine.

It is something you should try, we will have some available, but it will never, ever be forced upon you.

Beer

The majority of people drink beer in Vietnam. The three most popular brands are Tiger (from Singapore), Heineken (from the Netherlands), and 333 (from Vietnam). All three pretty much taste similar, but they are okay to drink.

It is hot, so hot that by the time you drink your beer, it will be lukewarm. So it is traditional to drink your beer with a large chunk of ice in it. Because of this, mostly the beers will be lighter lagers.

Other good beers (but not popular) in Vietnam are: Halida (a VN beer that is made under the supervision of Carlsberg), Saigon Beer (there is a Ha Noi beer also, but not as good), LaRue (a beer made from French recipes and supervision), and BGI (Bloody Good Idea, a beer made by the supervision of Australians).

Saigon is the only one that comes in three labels: red, white, and green. Red label is the most popular, it is a light lager reminiscent of Tiger, Heineken, and 333. White label has a better taste, and is also known as Saigon green, because it is in a green bottle. The third and the best tasting and the least popular is green label or special. It is in a green bottle and a green label. It is very nice, but hard to find.

When coming to VN, beer is a good addition to a meal. Most Vietnamese food tastes better with beer.

But if beer is not an option. There are other things to drink.