Bia Hoi Cool - 2000 VND

Every street in Hanoi's Old Quarter is named after what is sold there (or at least used to be): shoe street, blacksmith street, herb street, towel street, jewelry street...you get the picture. The buildings are narrow as the amount of taxes paid used to correlate with the width of the shop front.

At the crossing of Paper Street and CD/DVD Street (well, that's what they sell now) there is a corner filled with Bia Hoi stalls - theme that bleeds onto the neighboring streets and brings people together. What's Bia Hoi you ask?...

Literally translated Bia Hoi means "Fresh Beer." It's recently brewed light beer served "cool" out of kegs on the street. You can sit for hours (or as long as you can stand the kindergarden-sized plastic chairs and can hold your liquid) and drink your fill for only 2000 Dong a glass (16000 VND to the $1). It is more about socializing than about hard core drinking, as Bia Hoi is notably weak. An evening at Bia Hoi, however, is a pure joy providing an opportunity to kick back with friends (new and newer) and watch the motorbikes, booksellers, tourists and world go by.

Pictured are Will, Geoff and me after returning from 2 days of sailing around Halong Bay. Photo by Aeron.