I was uncertain of what to expect in Halong Bay, Vietnam. On one hand, it is a de riguer destination for every tourist to Vietnam, so likely to be crowded and overdone. But on the other, the scenery is so …
Tag: Drinking in Vietnam
A botf check in from Halong Bay, Vietnam
Always on the lookout for a ferry or similar watercraft to have a beer on the back of, your correspondent finds himself on a rather splendid vessel in possibly one of the most stunning locations on the planet. The vessel …
Bac Ha Markets and the Vietnamese beer story so far
Your correspondent may have mentioned in a previous missive his aversion to markets. There is an exception to this rule. The absolute highlight of my previous overseas travels has been weekend markets in far flung frontier areas in southern China …
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Life on Vietnamese streets and Goldmalt Brauhaus
The activity on the streets of Vietnam’s cities is mind boggling. And this is not taking into account the interminable hoardes of motors scooters. It seems every door front and street corner is a business of some form. Many are …
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Bia Hoi – the Hanoi love affair continues
Your Vietnam correspondent’s post today combines both a Hanoi experience and the key botf focus – beer. There are many locally brewed beers available, Bia Hanoi, Beer Saigon, Viet Ha, for example. All are owned by large, mostly overseas conglomerates. …
Old Hanoi and Legend Beer
For this post your correspondent is going to put away his inner curmudgeon (to the disappointment of some I’m sure) and try and wax lyrical about old Hanoi. I have now decamped from Saigon to Hanoi and the cities could …
Markets, more markets and the Lion Beer Brauhaus
Markets. Hot, cramped, full of cheap crap and vendors poking and prodding you. The mere thought of them gives me the hershey squirts. And this is just those in Balmain in Sydney. Ben Tanh and An Dong markets in Saigon …
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Hoa Vien Brauhaus and a clip from an AK47
Good friend of the botf, Scrote, would be proud of me today. While visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels I had the pleasure of loosing a clip from an AK47. I am not a gun freak by any measure but there …
Gammer Beer and letting your guard down
In all my travels over the years I have never been (knowingly) been ripped off or robbed. I have certainly left vital travel essentials like passports and the like in cabs, bars and buses. But this was always my own …
The Rex Hotel
Travelling overseas with kids is challenging. I was never one to be particularly impacted by jet lag. However, my kids have absolutely been shellacked by it. Means we have to dive in and out of Saigon in bite size chucks. …
back of the ferry 