#19: Vietnam

Vietnam is one of those countries that I'd really like to go to but never quite make it. I suppose drinking their beer is a (very, very feeble) step towards that goal? Anyway, last time I was at a big bottle shop I got the only Vietnamese beer they had, Halida. Which wasn't the one I wanted. You see, a couple of years ago there was an odd little Vietnamese restaurant near my place in Newtown, that never really had anyone in it. My partner and I went there one night and the food was not bad. But they didn't do well and shut down. While eating there though I managed to try "333" beer, which is apparently wildly popular in Vietnam and the beer that everyone drinks. I think Halida is their version of Australia's "Fosters"; nasty export stuff that they manage to sell overseas because people don't know better.

The night we ate there and I had 333 beer was quite a while ago though, and long before I started the beer quest. So I didn't photograph it and can't remember what it tasted like, but I remember I liked it. Unlike Halida, which I'm sad to say is not very good at all. There's not a lot to say about it; it's just really, really generic industrial lager. Not as bad as say Hite or anything, but not as good as the better ones like Efes or Bintang. It reminded me of Beer Lao somewhat, actually; perhaps it's made from a rice or part rice base. Anyway, Halida is not great, and whoever makes 333 Beer should get their act together and ship it to Australia; I'd probably buy some!


Name: Halida
Country of production: Socialist Republic of Vietnam (wow, one of the few socialist countries that puts "socialist" instead of "democratic" in its name).
Style: Lager
Taste: Typical mass produced lager
Cost: around AU$4.50 per bottle
Availability in AU: Low
Cred: Low to medium
My score: 5.5 out of 10 ferocious guerilla armies