Bia Hoi Corner Hanoi, Vietnam

Bia Hoi Corner (also called Bia Hoi Junction) is a destination that the foreign who come to Hanoi for the first time must go. Why does it become so popular? How to get and what to do there? Today, you will get to know useful information to make a plan on exploring the most famous bustling street in Hanoi – Bia Hoi Corner.

I. Fresh Beer and Bia Hoi Culture

Nowadays, fresh beer has become a familiar drink of the Vietnamese, the drink that you can find and buy easily anywhere from luxury restaurants to vending machines, small grocery stores, from city to countryside. However, not many people know where it came from and when it was first imported in Vietnam. 

Fresh beer is said to have appeared in Vietnam from the end of the nineteenth century by French colonists. When they came here, they had brought and left in Vietnam their culture, lifestyle, architecture, and even food, and drink. Especially in Hanoi, you won’t have difficulty in finding corners or structures like in France. 

While beer’s origins may not be Vietnamese, the country has developed its own unique beer culture. Here are the key differences between Vietnamese beer culture and others:

Alcohol Content and Taste

• Vietnamese fresh beer typically contains approximately 4.5% ABV, lower than European standards
• Known for its crisp, slightly bitter taste that appeals to both men and women

Pricing

• Domestic fresh beer: VND 7,000 – VND 15,000 per glass
• Imported beer: VND 30,000 – VND 40,000 per glass (higher due to import taxes)

Drinking Culture
Vietnam ranks among the countries with the highest annual alcohol consumption globally. Beer drinking here is both a social activity and daily pleasure:

• Popular after work for relaxation
• Common during social gatherings
• Often accompanied by food and conversation
• Enjoyed in venues ranging from upscale restaurants to street-side establishments

II. Highlights of Bia Hoi Corner

Bia Hoi Junction, also known as International Crossroad, occupies the intersection of Ta Hien Street and Luong Ngoc Quyen Street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. This area has become the city’s quintessential nightlife destination, popular among both locals and tourists.

Ta Hien Street: Hanoi’s Entertainment Hub

• Known locally as ‘Hanoi’s Western Street’ or ‘Sleepless Street’
• Length: 226 meters
• Comparable to Bui Vien Street in Ho Chi Minh City or Pham Ngu Lao Street in Hue

The street presents two distinct personalities:
► Morning: Quiet and peaceful, showcasing French colonial architecture with its red-tiled roofs, white walls, and green wooden windows
► Evening: Transforms into a vibrant nightlife destination with:

• Colorful lighting from establishments
• Aromatic street food
• Crowds of locals and tourists
• Open-air seating with plastic stools spilling onto the streets

III. What to Do in Bia Hoi Corner

1. Gather with friends

Bia Hoi Junction at Ta Hien Street is a suitable place to gather with friends, especially with those who don’t live in Hanoi or who first come here or foreign friends. Nothing is more wonderful than sitting with friends, drinking beer in a vibrant atmosphere after the stress working hours to forget worry in life temporarily.

2. Go clubbing

Before, going club was something not good in people’s thought in Hanoi, but now, it has become a relaxing trend of the young with the development of society.

There are many famous bars, pubs, and clubs sited around Bia Hoi Corner such as 1900 Le Theater, Funky B, Prague Pub, Mao’s Red Lounge, Hay Bar, where tourists can enjoy beers, foreign wines, cocktails in tunes of living music.

A note is going club is only allowed for people aged 16 and over, so you should bring identification to prove you are old enough to enter.

IV. What to Eat at Bia Hoi Junction

Besides the beauties of the architecture and activities, Bia Hoi Corner is also renowned for its diverse street food and traditional cuisine. Tourists can try a lot of yummy Vietnamese street food here at affordable prices.

1. Fresh Beer

First of all, the specialty that makes name for Bia Hoi Corner is fresh beer. It will not be entire if tourists come to visit Bia Hoi Junction without drinking a glass of beer. The image many people sit on plastic stools, spill out of the street and hold a glass of beer on their hands is a familiar scene of Bia Hoi Corner.

• Price range: VND 7,000 – VND 40,000 per glass
• Available in both domestic and imported varieties

2. Honey-grilled Quail

Though there are also a lot of restaurants serving this dish in Hanoi, many people said that nowhere is as delicious as at Bia Hoi Corner. The attractive points of this dish are the greasy fragrant flavor, crispy and tough chicken meat that is crunchy on the mouth and you can even eat bones.

• Price: approximately VND 35,000 for 4 pieces
• Specialty of a 20+ year-old establishment

3. Ta Hien Beef Noodles (Bun Bo Ta Hien)

Bun Bo is a very well-known and popular dish for Vietnamese people and tourists. How to cook this dish is different according to regions and Bun Bo Ta Hien in not sleeping street is quite special. It is still sweet and delicious beef, but here the beef is fried with garlic, the rich taste, the noodles are mixed with other ingredients such as bean sprouts, melons, pineapple slices … How delicious it is!

4. Bun Moc Ta Hien

There is another type of traditional noodle in Hanoi which is also well-loved by the locals and tourists can try a bowl of noodles cooked in the traditional way in a diner at Ta Hien street. 

The highlight of this dish lies in “Moc”. “Moc” at Bun Moc is a mixture that is made manually by mixing ground meat, black fungus, spices…, brings the sweet and soft flavor to guests. The diner selling this dish at Ta Hien street is only a small one in the corner of the street but always crowded as the taste is second to none.

5. Street Snack

Though cheese sticks, fermented pork roll, chips are not traditional cuisine of Vietnam, their popularity is not inferior. The aromatic and crunchy taste of these dishes combined with fresh beer, peach tea, lemon tea will give tourists a warm evening with friends.

V. How to Get to Bia Hoi Corner

Bia Hoi Corner is located in Hanoi Old Quarter, at the intersection of Ta Hien Street and Luong Ngoc Quyen Street. Tourists can pay a visit here by bus, by motorbike or on foot. It takes visitors 10 minutes to walk from Hoan Kiem Lake now that this place is 250 meters from the south of Hoan Kiem Lake.

VI. Tips on Visiting Bia Hoi Corner

There are some useful tips for tourists who first come here:

• The most convenient transport to discover Hanoi is a motorbike but make sure that your motorbike is filled up with energy because it is hard to find a gas station.
• The most useful thing you should bring is a map. The streets in the Old Quarter is so complex that you can get lost easily.
• You had better not go alone because you may come up against robberies, thefts or drug addicts.
• Bring your identification if you want to go to bars and clubs.
• Pay attention to personal belongings and don’t bring something with great value such as jewelry.