Beer street in Hanoi, Vietnam is without a doubt one of the most famous and popular streets for tourists visiting Hanoi.
Also called Ta Hien Street Hanoi, this is a lively and popular walking street in Hanoi for nightlife, bars and restaurants.
Hanoi beer street is located in the Old Quarter in the centre of Hanoi and it’s hard to miss this lively street when you’re around the city centre during the evening and into the night.
Although with such a lively city that seems to never sleep, it can be hard to find where Hanoi nightlife ends and Hanoi beer street begins.
After spending a month in Hanoi and hanging out with my cousin who lives there, here’s a quick guide and some times for visiting Beer Street, Hanoi.
Beer Street, Hanoi
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What is Beer Street, Hanoi?
Beer Street, Hanoi during the day
Beer Street is the nightlife spot in Hanoi for cheap beer, live music, food and drink. While it’s popular with tourists, especially backpackers, you’ll see a whole mix of tourists here as well as locals, all enjoying the exceptionally cheap price of beer. We found the average Hanoi beer street price to be around 10,000 VND which is £0.30 / $0.42 USD.
History of Ta Hien Beer Street, Hanoi
Like many historic areas of Vietnam, Ta Hien dates back to the French colonial period and was traditionally a residential area of the city.
You’ll see food vendors and Bia Hoi stalls with the colourful seats on the side of the road throughout the city - they pop up anywhere that people are and that’s how Hanoi Beer Street started too.
Local workers would enjoy a cold bia hoi on the streets in the evening and as tourism has grown, the exceptionally cheap price of bia hoi has become a popular draw for tourists, backpackers and budget travellers.
What is Bia Hoi?
Bia Hoi means “fresh beer” and it’s a Vietnamese draft beer that’s brewed locally and fresh each day. Being only brewed and fermented for a short time means it’s a very light and watery beer, easy to drink and only around 3% alcohol (although with it being locally made - who even knows the exact alcohol percentage!)
Jug of Bia Hoi Hanoi
Bia Hoi Hanoi is of course very weak beer by US and Europe standards but the draw is the exceptionally cheap price and easy drinkability.
You’ll see the Bia Hoi stands with the tiny plastic stools on the side of the road, ready to serve you in the traditional Bia Hoi glasses - these are not quite as big as a pint glass and the glass is “bubbly” inside. Apparently this is from the war when a lot of glass was smashed during the bombing of Hanoi. This glass was then melted down and roughly remoulded into these glasses so that locals had something to drink from.
While the cost of beer in Vietnam is already cheap, bia hoi beer generally costs around 10,000 VND (£0.30 / $0.40)
Where is the best Bia Hoi in Hanoi?
Honestly you’ll have a very similar experience anywhere you go, Bia Hoi is served by some local bars and restaurants but it’s mostly local vendors on the side of the street and if you’re in Beer Street, the atmosphere is going to be lively and cheap wherever you go!
To fight the jetlag (and because we’re huge beer fans!) On our first evening in Hanoi, we’d got off the plane 5 hours earlier and it happened to be a Friday night. My cousin took us to the Havana Bar (opposite Circle K convenience store) so we could sample several other popular beers in Vietnam:
Saigon Beer
Tiger Beer
333 Beer
Beer Hanoi
Hanoi Beer at Havana bar
She then took us next door to the Bia Hoi which is just in the street beside the restaurant so we could get a pitcher of bia hoi and watch the live music - needless to say we weren’t fighting jet lag anymore and we had the best night with our fresh bia beer!
This is the spot I highly recommend, it’s called Bia Hoi Corner on Google Maps - linking the location here.
Live Music in Hanoi Old Quarter
During the weekend, a large section of Hanoi Old Quarter is pedestrianised and it means the streets are covered in the tiny colourful plastic stools for you to eat and drink on, markets cover the street along Hang Dao where you’ll find the Hanoi Night Market (location here).
Beer street, Bia Hoi and live music
It also means there’s live music in a lot of locations and my favourite is the bia hoi location I shared in the above section.
Although lots of bars offer live music too, there’s nothing like the streets being pedestrianised and full of people, sitting on the yellow plastic stools in the middle of the street with a 30p beer, right in the lively city atmosphere and listening to live music from a band.
While the music is mostly in Vietnamese, they do play some classic translated hits but it’s all a live band so you can appreciate and enjoy the upbeat music regardless of the language.
Where is Beer Street Hanoi Old Quarter?
Beer Street, Hanoi
So if you’re wondering where exactly is Beer Street in Hanoi or Ta Hien street, I’m linking it here: Hanoi old quarter Beer Street.
Old quarter Ta Hien corner, Hanoi is the start of beer street and it stretches north from this corner and sort of covers the whole block too as the spot I linked above for bia beer is on the street at the top of Ta Hien.
You can find lots of bia hoi, bars and restaurants in the Old Quarter area which is on the north edge of Hoan Kiem Lake.
What are the best bars on beer street, Hanoi?
Again, there are a lot that are similar selling cheap street food and drink. The staff or vendors will shout at you and try to bring you into their establishment with their menu and “hello cheap beer”.
We had Banh Mi and Pho along beer street but I can’t find the location on Google Maps. Generally, if it looks busy - we trust that it’s good!
I also really enjoyed the Northern Soul rooftop bar, it’s just across the road from Ta Hien corner and it’s an amazing way to see the lights and sounds of beer street from above.
If you’re looking for a Hanoi rooftop bar on Beer Street, the location is here and I’m sure it’s not one of the hidden gems in Hanoi but we were there on a Friday night and it really wasn’t too busy, we easily got a seat on the balcony with a view of beer street.
Tips for visiting Beer Street, Hanoi
Ta Hien street in the rain
Go on a Friday or Saturday for the best atmosphere with live music and the streets closed to traffic
People eat and drink later in Vietnam, the later you’re out the more lively it’ll be
Even when the streets are closed to traffic, scooters and motorbikes still come through - be careful when you’re in the road
If vendors are hassling you to come into their restaurant or bar and you don’t want to, just say no or “Khong”
Try to pay in exact money or smaller notes, a lot of vendors will not have change for half a million VND
As with anywhere, keep your belongings close and drinks covered
If you’re ordering a taxi to get back to your accommodation, do it on the Grab app so you have the pre-agreed price
Bring tissues and sanitizer, some of the vendors on the side of the street don’t have a toilet, just a shared public bathroom and most don’t have toilet roll or sinks/soap available (brick and mortar restaurants and bars are fine though)
Keep an umbrella or raincoat with you, especially if you’ve visiting in the rainy season!
Summary: everything you need to know about beer street Hanoi
Whether you’re a budget traveller, a curious tourist or a flashpacker, heading to beer street and trying the famous bia Hanoi beer at least once is a great experience to have in Hanoi.
I especially recommend going on a Friday or Saturday when the streets are closed to traffic and the live music atmosphere is amazing.
You’ll be blown away by the cheap prices here, it’s easy to forget this is a capital city when you’re drinking 10,000 VND beers!
Hopefully this travel guide gives you an idea of what to expect in Hanoi Old Quarter beer street!
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