Hanoi beer

That's especially true if you're in Hanoi, where the beer is surely the best value to be found anywhere and the world going by must be among the most fascinating.

Ahhhh. After a hot, steamy day of exploring museums and pagodas there's nothing better than sitting in a pavement cafe, sipping a cold beer, and watching the world go by.

The presence of Bia Hanoi, or freshly brewed, light, low-alcohol pilsener-style lager, is one of the best things in Vietnam.

Beer Hanoi was the brew of connoisseurs in the capital

It is incredibly cheap - less than 20c a handle - tasty and refreshing, and because it's low alcohol you can enjoy plenty of it without feeling any after effects.

There is a slight trap in the standard toast "tram phan tram" which an innocent visitor can join in with realising it means  - "bottoms up", "drink up", or "100 per cent".

  

Furthermore, the cafes also supply cheap snacks to soak up the liquid and to allow you to keep drinking all evening without the need to leave for dinner.

Sitting at a cafe in Hanoi's Old Quarter is also a fine way to get a feel for the city's rich street life with its occasional limousines, endless buzzing motorbikes, bicycles laden with produce and street vendors hawking vegetables and fruit from baskets slung over their shoulders.

You could easily sit there all evening, relaxing, supping, chatting, shouting toasts and enjoying the passing parade. 

"Tram phan tram".!!