‘Sin tax’ bill sails through; foes claim railroading

Opponents of the sin tax reforms have protected vested commercial interests for too long with total disregard for the public good, even as they claim they are “protecting their constituents” or “protecting the local industry”.  The facts are clear. The current sin tax law, which these vested interests do not want to change (i.e. agree to raise taxes but only by a little amount that will continue to promote the ill health and poverty of consumers while boosting industry profits) has resulted in devastating effects on both public health and the national economy.

Let’s see if “My Mom” (an obvious tobacco industry stooge) has something to say on this.

Coming soon to Philippines.

Cheapest beer in the world – ‘bia hoi’ in Vietnam (16 cents a glass)

18 Mar, 2010  |  
Comments (1)  |  
Add a comment

If
you love draft beer and you also love a bargain then your mecca might
be northern Vietnam. Every travel show that slips through the country
mentions the infamous “bia hoi” that is most common in Hanoi,
but also found in many other parts of Vietnam if you look around. In
fact, Hanoi is definitely not the best place to try these cheap suds,
but we’ll get to that below.
On signs that bother to translate the words, “bia hoi” always becomes
“fresh beer” but in reality there is an older form of the stuff that is
called “bia tuoi” and that actually means “fresh beer.” The word “bia”
is Vietnamese means beer, and it’s pronounced almost like an Australian
pronounces “beer” anyway.
What’s important to know about this stuff is that it’s made freshly
each night, delivered around the city the following morning, and guzzled
down by the time the bars close that night. And instead of actually
being served in bars, it’s usually poured out of a plastic jug, or maybe
an actual keg, at street-corner establishments all over the city.
How much does bia hoi cost?
If you are in Hanoi then by far the most likely place you’ll be able
to try it is at one of the four casual places on Bia Hoi Corner in the
heart of the Old Quarter. At those places the current price in 2010 is
3,000 dong per 12oz glass, which translates to about 16 US cents. If you
are very cheap and very adventurous then you might be able to find it
for as little as 2,000 dong, but it won’t be easy and it definitely
won’t be worth the nickel you save.
In case you are curious, a bottled local lager beer will cost
anywhere from about 12,000 to about 25,000 dong, depending on where you
order it, so this 3,000-dong stuff is cheap, but not too far out of the
normal range for this city.
What is bia hoi like?
Bia
hoi is a very light lager made with no preservatives that is probably
more similar to Bud Light than anything else you might know. Research
tells us that the alcohol level is usually between 3% and 4% so it’s a
bit weaker than American light beer, when bia hoi is in its pure form.
Most tourists drink this stuff for the novelty of it rather than its
delicious taste, and in fact, the batches tend to taste different from
day to day, which might be at least partially explained by the fact that
many of the bia hoi places in Hanoi literally water the stuff down in
order to stretch the batch out a bit more.
At most places it’s not really as cold as you might like, and some
days it tastes like dishwater while other days it tastes like a really
nice light beer. The service at these places – at least the ones where
tourists go – tends to be fast, so it’s possible to get quite a few of
these things down your gullet in a short time if that’s your goal.
What’s in bia hoi?
None
of the breweries that make the stuff seem to publish their recipes, at
least in English, but word on the street is that it’s normal lager made
with hops and barley malt, and it also contains around 50% rice, which
helps keep it light and clear. If rice in beer sounds weird to you then
you might not know that Budweiser itself contains around 30% rice.
There are no preservatives added so bia hoi is said to be pretty much
undrinkable after 24 hours or so, as it goes flat and begins going bad
quickly. These places know about how much they can sell each day so they
only order that much, or even less, to be delivered each morning.
Finding bia hoi in Hanoi
There are several beer hall and beer garden-type places around town,
and expats living here seem to frequent those, but honestly your best
bet is to join the rogue’s gallery of tourists, expats, and locals at
Bia Hoi Corner itself. It’s at the intersection of Luong Ngoc Quyen and
Ta Hien Streets, and if you are spending more than a day in Hanoi then
chances are very high that you’ll wander through there whether you are
trying to or not.
You’ll have the privilege of sitting in a tiny plastic chair while
you drink, so in this sense it’s a truly local experience because pretty
much every Vietnamese person eats every meal seated on one of these, if
not the even-smaller plastic stools you see at some places.
The sign here says 4000 dong because this is the week after Tet when prices are higher
By far the most popular place with tourists is Bia Hoi Hai Loan,
you’ll see it on the corner, and its address is 41 Luong Ngoc Quyen. One
of the problems with this place is they open in the early afternoon and
seem to run out of bia hoi only 4 or 5 hours later, so if you come
round after 7pm or so it’s likely that they’ll tell you that they are
out for the day. You can do what most people do and instead order a
bottle of Tiger or Hanoi beer for 15,000 or 20,000 dong, but it takes
some of the fun out of things.
Map of Bia Hoi Corner

This Hanoi bia hoi website
does a great job mapping all these places out, so if you are looking
for alternatives or staying in a different neighborhood, they’ve got you
covered.
A short video of the (madness and) scenery at Bia Hoi Hai Loan

The best place to get bia hoi in Vietnam
In Hanoi the bia hoi is often a bit warm and often watered down. You can also find the stuff in a few tourist restaurants in Hue,
down on the Central Vietnam coast, but keep going a bit further south
to the lovely town of Hoi An for the best bia hoi you can get.
Hanoi is an amazing city in quite a few ways, but you’d be crazy if
it was your only stop on a visit to Vietnam. Hoi An is extremely
touristy at its heart, featuring no less than 200 tailor shops ready to
custom make you a suit or dress in a day or so for next to nothing, but
it’s also lovely, with better and cheaper food, and it’s awash in cold
bia hoi at even some of its finest restaurants.
There are so many restaurants in Hoi An that competition is fierce
and many places hang a sign out front displaying their bia hoi price
next to their full menu. The going rate in Hoi An is also 3,000 dong,
though a few places charge 4,000.
Another
great thing is the bia hoi in Hoi An is almost always served cold,
never watered down, and it’s served in really nice restaurants that have
proper tourist-friendly furniture. The plastic chair on a smoggy street
corner in Hanoi experience is one you don’t want to miss, but most
people are over it after a glass or three of the stuff. In Hoi An you
can eat at wonderful restaurants, including those that overlook the
scenic river, and quaff an endless stream of higher quality bia hoi as
you go.