Ta Hien – “Fresh Beer” Street

Let’s see how Eviva’s customers think of Ta Hien, famous fresh beer street in Hanoi.

Beer Ta Hien

Claire, an English visitor to Vietnam, has travelled across country for nearly 2 weeks but just stayed in Hanoi in 2 days. During her stay in Hanoi, she walked around the old streets and enjoyed fresh beer in Ta Hien Street. This is also the reason why she loved to travel to Vietnam.

Ta Hien Street was also known as the “International Crossroads” or the “Fresh Beer Crossroads/ Street”. The street is nearly 270 meters long, following Hang Bac St., while crossing Luong Ngoc Quyen St. In the past, Ta Hien Street belonged to Ha Khau precinct, Tho Xuong district. In the early 20th century, the street was a place of interest for the rich with many famous theaters and restaurants located at the center of the area. Over the past years the street which used to be home to Chinese people is now a gathering place for folks of all nationalities. Old Ta Hien St. is still a bustling and crazily crowded street, but instead of theaters and restaurants, the street is famous for visitor centers, bars, and street food struck. In the glow of the sunset, Ta Hien St. is usually filled with beer drinkers and plastic chairs.

David, a Scottish architect, talked about his experience while enjoying a cup of fresh beer at Ta Hien St. He said that “At first I could not sit on such rather short plastic seats and I was so uncomfortable. Gradually I get used to it. Now I love sitting here, watching the city lights up, and the streams of vehicles running across the street in a hurry. I see that Hanoi is so beautiful and lively. I can sit here till late night”. James, an English teacher, who has been living in Hanoi for 4 months, proved himself an experienced foreign resident. He said “Drinking beer in rain here is quite interesting. You can hear the raindrop dripping on the eaves. While enjoying a cup of fresh beer which tastes gently sweet unlike other kinds of beer, you can also enjoy the lively and noisy atmosphere and conversations in different language about stories of peoples coming from all walks of life. It’s very exciting.”
The street is small, so are the bars or plastic sitting chairs. The plastic chairs are also unusual desks on which food and drinks are put so as to save the area. Visitors can enjoying a glass of cool fresh beer or a bottle of Hanoi beer while having some of Vietnamese traditional dishes like fermented pork roll, roasted peanuts and grilled cuttlefishes.

Tourists visit Ta Hien Street not only to drink beer but also to mix with the local community. Many of them were very excited and considered it as a unique cultural activity. Guests of all nationalities love to visit the old mossy street to meet up with old and new friends and having conversations in all sorts of languages while watching the bustling urban scenery.

Claire said: “Although the quality of beer in Ta Hien St. cannot compare with expensive beer but visitors are still attracted by the atmosphere here. Ta Hien St. is a unique and distinct gathering place in Hanoi”.