Vietnam is already famous worldwide for their cuisine, especially street food, so it is not surprising that they also offer must-try drinks. During your Vietnam tours, one of the things that you should never miss is Vietnamese drinks, simple yet amazing.
1. Sugar Cane Juice (Nuoc mia)
Sugar Cane Juice in Vietnam
This yummy and fresh treat is one of Vietnamese famous drinks sold on every small corner of Vietnam. It is the juice of the canes squeezed using an electric squashing machine. Surprisingly it is not as sweet as you would expect it to be. The drink is usually mixed with Calamansi, a tiny sour citrus fruit that smells like a mandarin. The finished product has a crisp grassy flavor that’s very refreshing on a sweltering hot day. It is not only delicious but also rich in electrolytes and antioxidants to fight dehydration. You will find sugar cane juice vendors everywhere, advertising their goods openly on the streets. They usually have buckets of sugar cane stalks displayed in the front of their stalls.
2. Fresh coconut water (Nuoc dua)
Fresh coconut drink
Coconut water has been one of Vietnamese popular drinks for centuries and can be found easily on the streets. Coconut water is served straight from a coconut with the vendors chopping the fruit once you order it. They chop off the outer green husk and keep the small white inner shell, cut into a shape that won’t fall over when put on a flat surface. These white globes are usually kept on ice until you order one, then a giant machete is used to chop a hole in the top.
Generally, smaller coconuts tend to be sweeter than larger ones. Try coconut water on a hot day in Vietnam and you will fall in love with this simple drink immediately.
3. Sticky Rice Wine (Ruou nep cam)
The unique 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. Sticky rice wine is smoother and sweeter than the regular rice wine, which can be quite fiery. When trying this out you can ask for snacks like barbequed meat or seafood which compliment the drink wonderfully. The best of sticky rice wine can be found in the North of Vietnam, and Hà Nội the capital, is famous for this drink.
4. Artichoke Tea (Tra Atiso)
The go-to drink for hungover Vietnamese men, artichoke tea is believed to have liver-cleansing and detoxifying properties. There are two versions of the tea, which is usually served with ice—the sweetened yellowish version made from the artichoke flower and the intensely bitter black version made from the artichoke stems. Artichokes are grown in Dalat in Vietnam’s cool Central Highlands but packets of artichoke tea are available in supermarkets throughout the country.
5. Hanoi local draught beer (Bia hoi Hanoi) – Most famous Vietnamese drink worldwide
Vietnam is one of the countries that consume the highest amount of beer in the world. Since the country people got introduced to this alcoholic beverage in the 1900s, beer drinking has become a culture. Beer is wildly popular for its taste and coolness, which can immediately freeze the heat and thirst, especially in a tropical country like Vietnam where it is constantly hot and humid. Vietnamese can jokingly say that the next top visited place of a man, besides his mother’s or wife’s kitchen, is beer restaurants along the sidewalk at every street corner. These places are always crowded in the early evening. At these street eats, roundly dozens of people drinking the cool beer on hand, cheering each other and chatting about their day over a plate of roasted or steamed peanut with shell. If you are coming to Vietnam, enjoying a glass of beer with some special snack on the street is definitely a must-do.
6. Milk Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da)
One of the most popular drinks in Vietnam, the first distinguishing feature of a cup of Vietnamese brew is the brewing tool known as the phin (this device is placed on top of your mug and acts as a drip filter). The second unique feature of Vietnamese coffee is the use of Robusta beans. Vietnamese milk coffee then have the strong amount of caffeine, a thick and bitter flavor of Robusta, which is soothed out by the creamy and sweet flavor of condensed milk.
7. Egg Coffee (Ca Phe Trung)
Vietnamese famous egg coffee
This is completely a Vietnamese drink, meaning it was originated from this land. According to the legend, back in the 1940s, Mr. Nguyen Giang was working at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel and later on opened his own brand of café (Giang Café). On this one night, the shop ran out of milk to serve with coffee, so Mr. Giang came up with the idea of using a concoction of egg yolks and condensed milk as a substitute and this creation was known as Vietnamese Egg Coffee today.
To make egg coffee, egg cream is the most important part of this drink. Chicken egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk is whisked together to make a thick, fluffy mayonnaise-like consistency is formed. Then this mixture is poured over strong black coffee and it is ready to serve.
This Vietnamese signature drink could be found at mostly any Café in Vietnam.
8. Bubble Tea (Tra Sua Tran Chau)
Boba here refers to tapioca pearls, usually made from cassava starch, sweet potato and brown sugar. These edible pearls have chewy and kind of crunchy texture and usually come in black or milky color. Similar to Vietnamese Che (fruit mix), boba tea comes with dozens of different flavors.
Beside thousands of Café, travelers also could find hundreds of shop selling Tra Sua (Boba Tea) and wonder “What’s the deal with this land?” Well, to walk inside one of this Boba Tea shop means you are entering the land of teenager and youth. You will see groups of students in different table chatting, playing board game or doing schoolwork with servings of matcha milk tea, creamy mango milk tea with topping…
9. Fruit mix (Che)
“Chè” is a sweet beverage that often comes in form of pudding or a plain drink. It usually includes fruit, beans, seed, jelly, glutinous rice, coconut milk… This sweat drink comes with vast variety and combinations. For example, there is Che Ba mau (Three Colored Dessert) with several beans and green jelly, Che bap (Sweet Corn Pudding) made with sweet corn and glutinous rice, Che Chuoi (Banana with Coconut milk)… Travelers should try this but beware since this sweet treat could be addictive.
When you visit Vietnam, make sure to indulge in not only the famous local dishes like banh mi, pho, and bun cha, but also savor the renowned Vietnamese drinks highlighted above. They are sure to leave you feeling fully satisfied.
Read more: The Top 5 Every Foody Must Try in Vietnam
