Ho Chi Minh has a budding culture of craft beer wherein the Saigoners are brewing beers in their own style. Yes, its a surprising thing to expect but Saigon has some really delicious beers to offer with unique flavor by brewing it with local grains and fruits.
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We had read and heard about the beer culture in Saigon so we wanted to experience it. Initially we thought of taking a beer-tour to experience the amazing local craft beer that is usually done over an evening. While some of these tours can be really fun, opportunity to meet different people and at-times you make some friend.
But then we thought, beer tour is about drinking. So why pay extra and lets just drink our own way. Besides, most of these tour can be expensive. So we decided to DIY our way. We did some research on various beer places that are known for their beer, we created a list of breweries and beers to try and based on convenient route, we hopped onto a self-guided beer tour. Last place we ended up in was a Japanese bar and hence, I am calling this article a self guided bar crawl.
If you want to take a guided beer tour here are my recommendations: Saigon Craft beer tour, Saigon Adventure, Get your Guide, Free walking tour, and Tripadvisor,
Tips for self guided beer tour:
- Duration: Ensure you have minimum 5 to 7 hours so you can pace your self
- Group size: Its good to have atleast one person with you to create lovely memories and incase anything happens. If you are solo travelling invite some friends from homestay or fellow travelers that you feel safe around.
- Walk: Its good to walk throughout the beer tour as that will help you build your appetite, reduces the effect of alcohol on your system, and helps you pace your self. Protip, also wear comfortable footwear.
- Eat: Do not make the mistake of just drinking and barely eating. Order nibblers to and munch on some junk and some healthy food to create balance.
- Drink smartly: Avoid mixing different types of alcohol. Through the night we stuck to beer and only on our last pitstop we decided to try some of the other drinks because we knew after that we would straight take a cab home. Also, drink some water in between. After every two drinks, we have one tall glass of water.
- Interact: Interact with bartender, waiting staff, owners and people around you. For us the last pitstop ended up being most memorable place (read below).
Our Self guided beer tour experience and itinerary:
We decided to start our evening with a Banh Mi at this small stall around the crazy street, Giu Xe, 28.
We started our self guided beer tour at Pasteur Street Brewing company. We Ordered two double jasmine IPA. After which we had Pomelo IPA and Coffee IPA each along with some nibblers. The ambience was lovely with white fabric drapes flowing on the ceiling, thick wood table, nice music and delicious beer. We ended up with 3 beers each and decided to hope to next brewery.
Second pitstop we made to East West Brewing company. This place was decorated for Christmas and had so many big teddy bears around. There was mix crowd of local youth, expats and foreigners enjoying a game and some beer time. We had couple of beers each with some pizza to survive for next pitstop.
Our third pitstop was to Heart of Darkness but they had already shut shop. We ended up going to Heart of Darkness the next day. The beer and food is really good here. The beer menu here can be bit intimidating so do seek for recommendations well. We preferred to order small tasters of multiple beers, though each glass had enough quantity.
By then we were tipsy with so many beers. Somehow we ended up at Moonlight Bar which was a bit different from what the reviews described it. This place had a typical feel with lots of neon lights, loud music, girls in skimpy clothes and barely any customers. The moment we entered the place, the girls greeted my husband to sit. In that tipsy mode, we figured we didn’t come to a brewery. We politely excused ourselves and left the bar.
After walking for some time on deserted road at 11pm, we saw this bar across the road called The First – an authentic Japanese bar. An this happened to be the coolest bar in Saigon. They have a bar on ground floor and restaurant on 1st floor. Naturally we picked the bar wherein there two old Japanese men, a really sweet waitress Thu Giang and a tipsy bartender cum owner. After ordering some recommended drinks, we got chatty with Thu who recommended us things to do and eat in Hanoi. We didnt realise and soon we were talking with bar owner, who drunk by then, and the 2 gentlemen. The men described how they had migrated to Vietnam for their business and told interesting stories from their young days. This place gave us one memorable night.
So here is my list of best Breweries that you shouldn’t miss out in Saigon:
1. Pasteur Street Brewing Company – This is by far the best beer place in Saigon and has a Japanese vibe to the place. The ambience at the original brewery is relaxing and will make you think about your next business idea. Its a great place to meet friends over delicious beers or just be by yourself while your soak up the flavors from your glass. The simplicity of the brewery can be seen in the logo which is actually the doodle of the window at the original brewery. Beers must try – Double Jasmine IPA is my favourite (it also happens to be their award winning beer), Pomelo IPA, the coffee porter IPA from their seasonal menu is very distinct in flavour, and Cyclo imperoal Chocolate Stout if you are into dark beers.
2. Heart of Darkness – While HOD appears as second in this list but honestly to me, HOD holds a competing title with Pasteur at #1 in my list. Heart of Darkness is a perfect beer place with rock music, long hair bartenders serving brews with lots of deep fried food and amazing graffiti on the wall. In my 1st attempt I couldnt make it to this place on time and reached when they were washing the counters. So I made a 2nd attempt on next day before I was about to leave for airport to catch my flight. They have a particular bartender who is really cute and has an innocent smile. We loved this place so much that my husband bought me a tshirt from this place as a memory. You will find HOD in many cities across Vietnam. Beers must try – Dream Alone pale ale, Crossed legs Wit Saison, Lemongrass Wit, The river India Pale ale, and Mango Daiquiri sour.
3. East West Brewing Company – This is a big brewery bar wherein they have the beer drums as well. Since we went to this place during Christmas, they had decorated this place with human size Teddy bears. Otherwise the vibe of this place is sports bar with big screen to enjoy sports while you chug beers cheering your team. Beers must try – Summer Hefeweizen, Saigon Rose, A Pale Ale, and a Coffee Vanilla Porter.
4. Winking Seal Beer Company – its a cute place and almost gives a young vibe when compared to a general brewery. This place is lively with good decor and good beer. This ended our food tour with some craft beer at this place as it was very close to our homestay. Beers must try – Mekong Mashup Summer Ale, Dragon Fruit Pale Ale, and Bohemian Bastard IPA.
Other breweries to try are: Te Te Phe Quan, Biacraft, Ruong Pub, and Belgo.
Here are some high end fancy bars that you can check out in Saigon, which we didnt get time to do:
The Haflington – They have a animal skeleton (I believe fake one) hanging at the bar and they seem to have great cocktails
The world of Heniken – located in one of the tallest tower of Saigon, Bitexco tower, offers great view. Sadly I am not fan of Heniken
Dive bar: Climb – located in the middle of the city
Chill Sky Bar – is another option in Bitexco tower
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