Vietnamese cuisine is world-famous, but few visitors to the Southeast Asian country think about what they’ll be sipping on the streets of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. That’s a mistake: the country’s drinks are as delicious and diverse as its cuisine.
Vietnamese people don’t usually drink while they dine, perhaps because most meals are either soup-based or include soup at the end, to fill up any “last holes.” Enjoying a drink is a separate event, whether it’s meeting friends for a coffee or stopping at a streetside stand for a refreshing juice. The exception, of course, is a boozy drinking session, where the focus is on the alcohol and the food is considered an accompaniment.
Dừa Tươi (Fresh Coconut)
Fresh Coconut has been a popular drink in Vietnam for centuries. You won’t see the packaged stuff, though: here, it’s drunk straight out of the coconut, the vendors will chop the fruit once you order it – and this coconut water is grassier, sweeter, and more full-flavored than anything you’ll find in a package—trying it is like drinking raw milk for the first time. Generally, smaller coconuts tend to be sweeter than larger ones.
Sinh Tố (Fruit Smoothie)
Smoothies are everywhere in Vietnam, and we’re not just talking strawberry or banana. You’ll find smoothies with fresh dragon fruit, custard apple, avocado, soursop, jackfruit,… along with ice and condensed milk or yogurt.
Nước Mía (Sugar Cane Juice)
It is a famous drink sold on every street of Vietnam. This yummy treat is freshly squeezed using an electric squashing machine. Surprisingly it is not as sweet as you would expect it to be. The drink is usually served with Calamansi, a tiny sour lime found naturally in Southeast Asia. Sugar cane juice is not only delicious but also rich in electrolytes and antioxidants to fight dehydration. An easy way for you to find sugar cane juice vendors is if you notice where there are schools, universities, markets or parks, etc., sugarcane juice vendors never are far away!
Rượu Nếp Cẩm (Vietnamese Sticky Rice Wine)
Rượu nếp cẩm literally translates to northern glutinous rice wine. The wine is made using sticky rice that is fermented with yeast. The wine will contain as much as 29.5% alcohol. In Vietnam drinking wine or other alcoholic drinks is more of a masculine activity. Men gather in groups to drink a glass or two of this wine after a hard day of work. When trying this out you can ask for snacks like barbequed meat or seafood which complement the drink wonderfully. The best rượu nếp cẩm can be found in the North of Vietnam, and Hanoi capital is famous for this drink.
Bia hoi (fresh beer)
Not only is bia hoi the cheapest beer in the world, but it is also the freshest! Bia hoi is a very light beer, does not have a strong taste during or after drinking it and contains roughly 4% alcohol. Bia hoi is made in Hanoi every night and delivered to drinking establishments early every morning.
It is considered the freshest beer because it is made without any preservatives and must be drunk within 24 hours of production. For this reason, Hanoi and its surrounding areas are the only places you can find bia hoi.
Cà Phê (Coffee)
Vietnam is the world’s biggest producer of Robusta coffee. Vietnamese coffee is prepared using a small metal drip filter, and is most commonly served over ice. You can’t walk a block of any street in the country and not see someone enjoying a coffee in one form or another.
The two most popular ways to drink local coffee are cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk) or cà phê đá (iced black coffee). Note that unless you specifically request “không đường” (no sugar) or “ít đường” (a little sugar), the black version will come with four or five teaspoons.
You can also get your caffeine fix with a yogurt coffee or the Hanoian specialty, egg coffee, made with whipped egg yolk. These caffeinated wonders are so delicious it’s easy to suck them down in three quick slurps. Yet the locals will spend an hour or more enjoying a coffee. Having a coffee is an excuse to sit and watch the world go by, either from a small chair at a streetside stall or from the window of a blessedly air-conditioned cafe.
