A refreshing drop on every street corner
Last week, Viet Nam News asked readers for their opinions about bia hoi (fresh beer), the Vietnamese popular drink that is typically found in small bars and on street corners. Below are some of the responses. Raymond Anderson, Australian, Ha Noi
| Medical errors are every patients' worst nightmare. They can exacerbate a patient's condition, and in the worst case, even cause death. Unfortunately, they can happen anywhere, even in countries with highly developed health care sectors. That being said, each country is different from the other in terms of the frequency of such incidents, due to conduct codes and relevant laws. For the first time in Viet Nam, punishments for medical errors have been stipulated to protect patients' rights in the Health Examination and Treatment Law which came into effect at the beginning of this year. Have you or a family member suffered from a serious medical error at home or abroad? Has a doctor ever prescribed you the wrong medicine? Have there been any instances in your country that made the news? What is the highest punishment a doctor is subject to if their malpractice results in irreversible damage? Is it something that worries you? Are there any mechanisms in place to minimise medical errors? We welcome your opinions. E-mails should be sent to: opinion.vietnamnews@gmail.com – or faxed to 84-4-39332311. Letters can be sent to: The Editor, Viet Nam News, 11 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi. All comments must be received by September 15. |
Going out to drink a few glasses of bia hoi with friends is one of my favourite parts of living in Ha Noi. The beer itself is good but nothing special, it's a very light pilsner-type ale that is weaker in strength and alcohol content than most beers. The best part of going out to one of the many street stalls that serve the beer is the atmosphere – it's a quintessential Vietnamese experience, but feels almost like a British pub. Most of the places are comprised of knee-high plastic stools and tables and offer simple Vietnamese dishes to accompany the golden ale. The relaxed vibe of these places is the major draw card and it's free of the elitism of expensive bars or restaurants – the bia hoi is for everyone. There's a great range of beers available in Viet Nam in bottled form and on tap, but the price and social aspect of drinking at these bia hoi venues is unrivalled.
In Australia, beer is not only extremely popular, but it joins people together – whether you meet some friends after work for a drink or have a big night out on the weekend, it's always a social occasion. For me, the bia hoi venues make this all the more possible because there are so many of them and they're very cheap.
Jasper Townsend, British, Ha Noi
I regularly visit a bia hoi near my work and occasionally in the Old Quarter.
The beer's okay and pretty inexpensive – it costs 8,000 dong at my local bia hoi (it was 6,000 dong a year ago!). I go there not so much for the beer but more for the informal atmosphere. I like the fact that bia hoi's are open to the street. I love people watching.
The only downside is that the glasses are not washed properly. And I wonder about the cleanliness of the beer.
We don't have anything remotely like a bia hoi in London. Probably more to do with licensing laws and the cold weather than anything else (even the bia hoi's in Ha Noi empty in the winter). In the summer, people often get wine or beer from an off-licence and head to one of London's parks.
Pubs are an important meeting place in England. Since the Middle Ages village life has revolved around inns – even tribunals were once held in the local pub.
Traditional English beer is dark and served at room temperature. The English are often mocked for drinking ‘warm' beer, but they don't. It is pumped up from cellars which are cool. When the US was a colony they also drank English ale, only switching to lighter pilsner later on. I'm a huge fan of dark beer served out of a cask not keg (a closed barrel containing no yeast). It has a lot of flavour because unlike its keg equivalent, the beer in a cask is alive. I'm afraid the beer in a bia hoi is pretty bland in comparison, but it is refreshing on a hot day.
Takeru Kobayashi, Japanese, HCM City
In my opinion, drinking bia hoi is all about relaxation. The beer is not really that good to me, but as it is so cheap, everyone can enjoy it. The open-air feeling of these places is so easy and comfortable - the bia hoi is where people are free to be themselves.
But there is also an ugly side to it. When I first came to Viet Nam, I was surprised to find that many people here, especially the men, enjoy drinking beer so much that they even challenged one another to see who could drink the most. It caused a lot get drunk and traffic accidents were inevitable consequences. I really do not like the way men challenge one another like that. Drinking beer together is to have some nice time, it is not a competition. And because bia hoi is served on the streets, when men challenge their friends like that they often get very noisy and disturb other customers.
Lee Han Sung, Korean, Ha Noi
I only got to know bia hoi recently when one Vietnamese friend of mine took me to a small street in the old quarter. It surprises me to find out that the fresh beer is not only cheaper, but also tastier than the bottled one. Although I'm not much of a drinker, it's nice to occasionally have a few glasses with peanuts or a snack from passing street vendors.
I think drinking bia hoi and having street food is a unique way to experience Vietnamese life. Sitting on a low plastic stool, watching the world go by, chatting the evening away with a good friend, the whole thing feels really nice.
Nguyen Van Dung, Vietnamese
I like to go for some bia hoi after office hours with my friends. It's great to sit together and watch beautiful girls pass by, walking down the street.
Going for some fresh beer out in the street is also a kind of informal get-together. It doesn't cost much so you don't have to think about the price and just enjoy the taste. The average price for a cup of bia hoi in Ha Noi today is around VND7-8,000, so it's affordable for everyone. You don't have to think of what was left in your wallet when asked by a friend to go out for some beer. And it's almost the same everywhere, just like tra da - the popular iced tea found at street stalls.
But of course, fresh beer is best for hanging out with your good friends. When I meet with business partners, bottled beer is a better choice because it is more hygienic.--VNS