Ta Hien, Hanoi’s international bia hoi street

Ta Hien street in Hanoi’s centre is famous among tourists and expats. This small street in the heart of Phố Cổ - ‘the Old Quarter’ - hosts dozens of sidewalk ‘bia hoi’ (draught beer) sites that draw a diverse crowd of customers. Here’s a photo essay from VietNamNet that views the nightly scene through the eyes of a Vietnamese reporter.
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.’
Tiny curbside restaurants offer cheap, cool, freshly-brewed beer, priced at only 3000 dong per big glass. They are ideal places for travelers to gather from afternoon until midnight.
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.
The Hai Loan bia hoi restaurant is only a little over ten square meters, just enough space for a glass cupboard and several beer buckets. The owners are a middle-aged couple who stay busy from late afternoon until midnight serving bia hoi customers sitting in plastic chairs on the sidewalk.
Within view of Hai Loan are Coolbeer Ngoc Anh, Coolbeer Thanh Thuy and others. Dozens of bia hoi venues extend down side steets like Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hang Bac and the alleys of Sam Cong, Quang Lac and Hai Tuong. They share the same character: small, sidewalk stands serving a youngish foreign clientele.
At Hai Loan Restaurant, owners and customers communicate with their hands. Though the establishment is very crowded, the owners don’t hire workers. Patrons help themselves to a pile of plastic chairs at the corner, the husband pulls the beer and his wife collects the money. The “food” for beer drinkers is very simple: packs of roasted peanuts.
Vendors walk along the street offering grilled squid at between 30,000 and 50,000 per squid to beer drinkers.
The Ta Hien bia hoi sites become more and more crowded as the night grows late. They can sell over 100 liters of beer per evening. Many customers cannot find a free seat, so they have to stand and wait for others to leave.
Though all the bia hoi venues are small and cramped, the young Westerners like them very much and pass along their favorite addresses.
James, a young New Zealand man visiting Hanoi for the first time, says: “Before I travelled to Vietnam, my friends told me about the eventful atmosphere at small beer restaurants on the Old Quarter streets. Yes, the feeling is very unique when I sit here, drink beer, talk to my friends and see Hanoi’s nightlife. It’s also wonderful that the price is so cheap.”
“After our trips to the mountains, this bia hoi restaurant is just the place for us to get together,” Jame’s friend explains.
Anna, a German student who has come to Vietnam several times, says: “When we return home, we tell our friends about our memories of Vietnam and all the interesting places here. Ta Hien is one of them!”
Anna said she learned about Ta Hien through her friend. “We sit here every night,” she smiled.