Hue, The Beer City (Huda, Festival & Hue Beer)

Arriving in Hue we were totally disorientated and ended up walking in the opposite direction to what we had planned but we arrived in the old backpacker area called Backpacker Alley which turned out to work in our favour.  It was quite funny because without realising it we ended up checking into the Ngoc Binh Hotel which was the hotel recommended by our last hotel in Hoi An.  It was a great little hotel and $8 a night. 

The Original Backpacker Alley

Ngoc Binh Hotel

We were here a few days so there was no rush to get around the city.  The alley was nice and cheap so perfect for backpackers and we chilled out in the famous Cafe on Thu Wheels where the walls were covered in graffiti from past travellers from all over the world.  With Wi-Fi available we decided to take some time out from sightseeing and concentrate on getting some major blogging done, still playing catch up. 

Back on Backpacker Alley with the well known 'Cafe on Thu Wheels' on your left 

Every inch of the place has a message to read...

As you can see!!!

Blog, Blog, Blog...

We ventured out in the evening to the new backpacker area which turned out to be a lot more expensive and not as charming which reinforced that the old backpacker area was still the place to be.  For once it wasn’t just Saigon beer, there was a local brewery and we sampled the Huda Beer, Festival Beer and Hue Beer that are all brewed in town by Hue Brewery Ltd.

HUE BREWERY LTD, HUE CITY, VIETNAM

Giant Beer Sign on the Purfume River for the Local Brewery

The company was established in 1990 and the brewery’s head quarters can be located at Nguyen Sinh Cung Street on the Perfume River. It is partly owned by Carlsberg and produces four beers, the three Vietnamese beers below as well as Carlsberg. It was established to meet the local beer demand and after ten months of construction the brewing plant was ready for its first beer to hit the market, Huda Beer. Since that day production has continued to increase; 3 million litres in 1991, 6 million litres in 1992, 12 million litres in 1993, 30 million litres in 1995, 50 million litres in 1998 and 100 million litres as early as 2007.

HUDA BEER, PALE LAGER, VIETNAM,  4.7 % ABV, 330 ML BTL

Huda Beer was the first brew from the Hue Brewery and is produced using the most advanced technology of Danbrew Consult-Denmark. It is the beer that the increased production has been put down to over the last decade and really is the beer of the region. It is also quite understandable that the Carlsberg connection is probably the reason why the beer reminds me of Carlsberg Lager.

It pours with a hazy golden colour and has a nice two finger head that settles down but doesn’t totally disappear. The aroma is light and hoppy but not too intense, and the taste is actually quite well balanced. It starts out malty, and gives way to a rich sweetness and light hop bitterness. It is smooth and pleasant with not too much going on. Pretty average overall but the taste it what you come to expect from the beers in Vietnam so far, non offensive and easy drinking, nothing that sets it apart from the crowd but one that you would consume again without being forced.

Huda Beer

FESTIVAL BEER, LAGER, VIETNAM, 5.0% ABV, 330ML BTL

The Festival Beer as you would imagine was designed originally for a festival. To be exact it was designed for the Hue Festival in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. The label is now popular in 330ml bottle designed form with quite an elegant feeling. The City is striving to become Vietnam’s Festival City and if this happens you could imagine the beer becoming an acclaimed label.

The beer poured with a very light lemony colour with quite a high carbonation and a foamy white head that vanished as quickly as it had arrived. The aroma was light with hints of malted barley, hops and citrus. It was quite fresh. The taste was pretty much the same. You could taste the sweetness from the malt and the bitterness from the hops as well as a hint of citrus lemon. Again everything about the brew was light. Nothing was over powering and it was an average easy drinking lager style beer. The positive was that the beer was crisp and had a nice lingering hoppy aftertaste so you actually knew that you were having a beer when you close your eyes. Not bad at all.

Festival Beer

HUE BEER, BLONDE, VIETNAM, 4.8% ABV, 330ML BTL

Hue Beer is the one named after the town and for me had an edgy well designed label even though some people might state that it reminds them of a homebrew label printed on a home printer. It was first imported into the United States in 1994, just after the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Vietnam and is imported by Artisanal Imports Inc, in Austin Texas.

Its appearance is of a golden yellow with an average sized fizzy white coloured head. Medium carbonation with a good amount of lacing and the head lasted about four minutes before disappearing which is a record for the beer tour so far.

The aroma is of grain, corn, biscuit and light hops with a hint of fruit. It has a light mouth feel and the taste is a little more intense than the Huda. You can actually taste the sweet malt and bitter hops with a hint of corn mixed with fruit. The finish is well balanced and satisfying. For me the best beer from Hue Brewery Ltd.

Hue Beer

http://www.huda.com.vn/

It was time to explore the city and we decided against the local boat tour which we had heard wasn’t very good which meant it was exercise time.  We walked the river with sculptures lining the banks, this seems to be a thing in Vietnam and it’s really beautiful. 

More Art on the River Banks

Crossing the Purfume River towards the Citadel

Strange, Random Traffic Action

We crossed the bridge to visit the local market before heading to the Citadel where you enter through the old walls which are surrounded by a moat. The Citadel is steeped in history and is beautiful but only part has been renovated so far so most of the area is still full of old ruins after being bombed during the war.  We did see elephants inside the grounds where you could have elephant rides but they looked sad and hot.  We came across the old theatre but the shows were cancelled that day, typical.  To be honest the Citadel is the main attraction in Hue and even though it is a World Cultural Heritage Site we weren’t fully feeling it.  If you don’t get to Hue in my opinion you are not missing too much in the city, again i think it may be one of the places where heading out with the Easy Riders would be a good shout.  The place has a great selection of beers though for you beer lovers out there and they are pretty much tied to Hue as we didn’t see them again anywhere. 

What's a Vietnam Market without a picture of the Cone Hats

The Moat around the Ancient Citadel

Citadel's Main Palace

Elephant in the Gardens

Royal Throne

Old City Courtyard

Renovated Theatre

Closed-Typical Luck

One of the many remaining buildings

With the blisteringly hot days in Vietnam so far it was nice to have an evening of heavy downpours. This meant that we had to stay local for food and ended up back at Cafe on Thu Wheels, the food was good and cheap but the atmosphere was quite eerie. Maybe it was because it was quiet but the place is tiny with only 6 tables and it was strange watching the owner fall asleep while drunk in his chair.  The place is still in the lonely planet and maybe all the good times that you read about on the wall have had their day.  It doesn’t seem to make an effort anymore which it should with the newly opened Liberty Cafe further down the alley which has a great atmosphere where you can play pool with the staff, cool decor, cooler music and outside eating plus a chill out mezzanine area. 

Liberty Cafe-The New Place to Hang-Out



On our final full day in Hue we decided it was time for a ride on a Cyclo which was good fun.  It was like sitting in a big pram while a guy peddles you along the streets.  This allowed us to visit the Baoquoc Pagoda which was very relaxing.  We also visited Notre Dame Cathedral and the local Lebadang Art Gallery which was great as he was a world famous artist who has had major exhibitions all over the world.    

A Big Baby in his Man Pram!

Cyclo Travel

Baoquoc Pagoda

Pagoda Oasis in the City

Notre Damn Cathedral

Catholic European Architecture in a Buddhist Country

LE BA DANG Art Exhibition

Some of the works...

& more on display. Keep energising my new arty side

Before leaving Hue I was able to beat one of the staff at Liberty which was surprising as I thought he was a pool shark with his pro glove on but the old competitive edge kicked in.



Have some of that Pool Shark...



Finally I also purchased a Vietnam beer t shirt for Bia Hoi from Papaya Shop, a little pricey but the money helps street children in Vietnam so it was for a good cause. 

Picking out the Bia Hoi T-Shirt at Papaya

Our next destination was Hanoi and a 14 hour night sleeper bus. We had heard a lot of stories about hotel touts when you arrive in Hanoi but they started early in Hue while we waited for the bus before an excellent journey to Hanoi with a chuckle along the way watching a couple of travellers sanitising themselves and the cutlery before eating.  This is one procedure we have never carried out, probably a good idea when you look at where you are eating sometimes but touch wood we haven’t been sick yet, our stomachs must be made of steel.

The Hanoi Hotel Touts on the Prowl in Hue

See you in the capital; it’s nearly time to visit Halong Bay. 

Signing out of Hue on the wall of 'Cafe On Thu Wheels'

Free Blog Advertising on the Rough Guide Letter...

Hoi An, UNESCO World Heritage Town (Local Homebrew-Viet A Lager)

Not too bad a journey on the sleeper bus even if a little bumpy, and feeling like a little nightclub on board with flickering strobe lights above us the bus actually arrived early in Hoi An. After viewing a few hostels trying to find a decent one, we checked into Phuong Dong Hotel for $10 a night down from $12.  Waiting for our room to be cleaned wasn’t a problem as we visited our new local across the road called Light Candle with lovely bubbly staff who acted like they had known us for ten years which was a nice welcome to the town. 

A bumpy journey through the night but having a bed on a bus is nice 

Phuong Dong Hotel. Tall & Narrow as always

Our new local The Light Candle, friends for life

We were only 5 minutes walk from the old UNESCO World Heritage Town and we just explored this beautiful place with old French colonial buildings, amazing cafes and bakeries, art galleries and the atmospheric market which is all built on the banks of the river.  This is the place we had been looking for in Vietnam and the place is well up there for beauty with Luang Prabang and Bukit Lawang which is saying something.  The narrow winding alleys and old buildings were just beautiful. 

An Ancient Town on the River

Such a rich history like time travel backwards

The Japanese Bridge

One of hundreds of beautiful art gallery's with work from local artists



Always time for cake and Hoi An is the place. Must be it's Frenchness



Just amazing buildings & streets at every turn

In the evening we crossed over the River Song Hoai to the Cau An Hoi peninsular where we dined at Miss Lien Thao’s. It was a lovely friendly restaurant in a line of many family run restaurants where we experienced our first taste of the local Hoi An cuisine – Cao Lau and White Rose. The food was delicious and we washed it down with a bottle of the local homebrew Viet A which was pretty nice as well. 

Crossing the River for Dinner was a whole new vibe

Miss Lien Thao's for some local cuisine

Digging into the local White Rose steamed dumplings with the Beef Cau Lao waiting, washed down with the homebrew

VIET A, LAGER BEER, VIETNAM, 4.5% ABV, 800 ML BTL

The Coca-Cola beer bottle being opened Hoi An style

Now this is one beer that I can’t really tell you much about. It’s called Viet A Lager Beer; it has an ABV of 4.5% and comes in what you could call an 800ml Coca Cola Bottle made out of plastic with a screw cap. I am unable to decipher the packaging and can find no mention of it on the internet so here goes.

Now doesn't that look like Homebrewed Beer

I am pretty sure that it is one of the Vietnamese Homebrew styled locally brewed beers this being from the vicinity of Hoi An. It is advertised around town as local beer and is usually sold for 5000 Dong per glass. This means you never actually see the bottle. We managed to actually purchase a full bottle which cost us 12000 Dong and was pretty shocked with what I so.

However we had heard about drinking the local cheap beer while in Vietnam but were told that it usually came in draught form out of a Keg. This one didn’t.

It had a dark golden colour and a nice frothy head. The aroma was malty and biscuity with a hint of lemongrass, quite earthy. The taste was much better than I imagined. It was light bodied with high carbonation and the biscuity malty sweetness was balanced nicely with a touch of hops and the herby lemongrass. The scent and flavours worked well together even though they were all very slight. Nothing off putting about the lager but it’s not going to blow open your taste sensation, a pleasant easy drinking lager that tastes unbelievably good when you put the Dong into Sterling. You just can’t complain for 12p per glass.

Looks like a beer, pours like a beer & tasted like a beer. Nice...

Hoi An has a great atmosphere during the day where it feels as though you are going back in time but it really does come alive at night. The river is alight with lanterns and giant statues which illuminate the water front and it is a great place to people watch while enjoying a few more glasses of homebrew for an even more remarkable price of 4000 Dong ten pence per glass. 

The whole river alight with giant statues



Time for more local draught beer & people watching

Fresh Beer Keg

With a couple more days left this was the place we wanted to take part in a cookery class and instead of going with one of the more well know classes where the price tag ranges from $26 - $45 we opted for booking with the lady at the hotel for her brothers restaurant. It cost $15 and we started at 9am the following morning. We arrived at Dong Au restaurant and our teacher for the day was Son, it was just Kate and I in the class which was a bonus, more food for us. Our introduction into Vietnamese cooking started with a trip to the local market where Son gave us an insight into local ingredients and introduced us to a local drink that was delicious and cooling.  Can’t remember the name but it was like a sweet iced bean tea if you can imagine that? It was very tasty and refreshing. 

With Son outside his restaurant Dong Au

Learning about local cooking ingredients at the local market

Sat with the regulars waiting for Bean Iced Tea

Arriving back at the restaurant the cooking lesson was all set out with the ingredients, utensils and small gas stove at the ready.  The lesson lasted about 2 hours and was more of a demonstration but we were able to get involved with each of the dishes and he gave us time to write down all the ingredients and recipes. 

All ready for the cook-off

Concentrating while writing my very own Vietnamese mini cook book

The Demonstration Begins

The food was amazing and probably our best Vietnamese food so far if I do say so myself. These cookery courses seem to be like this, it was the same in India and Thailand such good fresh food.  We cooked fresh spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes, morning glory and a fresh tuna steak clay pot which was truly divine. We enjoyed the food with another local beer and it was a massive lunch, all done by midday.  Absolutely stuffed that ended up being our final activity of the day, many hours needed to digest. 

Kate the master of fresh spring-rolls

The prawns are specially rolled on the outside

Vietnamese Pancake. So far so good!

Pancake One Done

Morning Glory

Tuna Steak Clay Pot-Delicious

Time to dine & test our new cooking skills



Total success. Great experience and perfect with some 'Local Fresh Beer'



We couldn’t believe that later on we were ready for dinner but we headed to the river for more Cao Lau at a street stall.  There was a great atmosphere by the river in the evening with free local music and dance shows in the square. 

Back to Family Stall Restaurant Street



Our Mini-Waitress was amazing this evening. Her on a break catching up on current affairs...





Vietnamese Cultural Street Entertainment



While in Hoi An we also crossed the bridge and visited Cam Nam Island, it was beautiful and tranquil.

Tranquil Nam Cam Island

My new career is harder than it looks. Even for a giant

We then climbed on a local taxi boat to make the 15 minute crossing to Cam Kim Island. It was definitely worth the trip, a lovely little boat ride and a pretty island that was quiet and very interesting where we were able to see boat building, locals working in the rice paddies and wood carvers.

Heading out on the local taxi boat across to Cam Kim Island

People plus bikes being unloaded

Local Bamboo Wood Carver at Work

The Rice Paddy Fields being farmed

Fishing Boat Building Yard

Can't wait to see how she rides this on dry land

Chugging back into Hoi An. Great to head out to the little islands

Hoi An was great and definitely a highlight in Vietnam so far since we left Saigon.  The beaches are now well and truly behind us as we start heading into North Vietnam.  Our next destination was Hue where we climbed onto another sleeper bus but only for a 4 hour journey. It was an early morning bus so we arrived at our next destination by lunch time after stopping to visit Marble Mountain en route

A quick stop at Marble Mountain On-route to Hue City

Entrance to Marble Mountain. Impressive Rock Face