Vietnam ranks as the 7th largest beer market in the world, positioned between nations with centuries-old brewing traditions such as England (8th) and Germany (6th).
This impressive ranking is currently driven by a growing population of over 100 million and increasing purchasing power. Yet, Vietnam’s connection to beer is far from recent.
The country’s beer culture has deep roots, shaped by its complex and turbulent history.
In this article, I’ll look back at Vietnam’s past to trace the origins of its unique beer culture. This piece, which explores the beginnings of beer in Vietnam, is the first in a series about the country’s beer history.
💡 An History Beer in Vietnam – The project
This is the first article in a series exploring the history of beer in Vietnam. The full list of articles can be found below:
- Part 1: The Early Days
- Part 2: Colonial Capitalism
- Part 3: The War for Independence and the Nationalizations
- Part 4 : Brewing in a Socialist Economy
- Part 5: Đổi Mới—The Golden Opportunity for Multinational Firms
If you think any key information is missing, feel free to share additional sources on this topic. I’m far from finished writing about beer in Vietnam!
1. Proto Beers
As a French person, I could have been tempted to start this article by discussing the first breweries opened by French colonizers.
However, a local brewer I interviewed a few months ago, Nguyễn Dũng Tuấn, mentioned “proto beers” made from fermented rice by ethnic minorities in North Vietnam for centuries.
I found references to this in several articles, mostly linking it to the Hà Nhì minority living in North Vietnam, near Lào Cai.
“Bia Hà Nhì” is made from sticky fermented rice, mixed with a special yeast derived from forest plants, and left to ferment in a sealed jar for three days.
This process results in a slighlty sweet, fragrant liquid, which is then diluted with water and left to ferment for an additional 15 days.
It’s usually consumed during special occasions and is not widely commercialized.
The question of whether this is truly a beer or simply a unique type of rice wine is open for debate, but what fascinates me is how it highlights an ancestral brewing tradition in this part of the world.
Similar drinks have been made in certain Chinese provinces for thousands of years—some of them even using barley instead of rice—further confirming this long-standing cultural practice.
If you want to try this beer in Hanoi (as I did), you can visit A Bản restaurant, which specializes in ethnic minority cuisine and has recently added Bia Hà Nhì to its menu.
If you want to stick to a more traditional definition of beer, the beginning of its history in Vietnam is then without doubt linked to the French colonization that began at the end of the XIX century.
2. The Beginnings of Beer in North Vietnam: Brasserie Hommel
The French Alsace region, neighboring Germany and where I am from, has a strong beer tradition. To give you a reference point, in 1865, a train left Alsace for Paris EVERY DAY just to supply the capital with Alsatian beer.
It’s no surprise that a man from this region, Alfred Hommel, was the one who introduced beer to North Vietnam.
2.1 Early Struggles: A 10-Year Journey
I have been reading a lot of archives related to the early days of the Hommel brewerie, and the main theme that emerges is the overall difficulty of the project.
The brewery’s beginnings date back to 1892, but according to the writings of Pierre Pasquier, the administrator of Hanoi, it wasn’t until 1902 that the brewery reached a truly industrial scale after overcoming numerous struggles.
Water
If you’re interested in beer, you know how important it is to have access to high-quality water. This was Hommel’s first challenge and even dictated the location of the brewery, which you can now find at 183 Đ. Hoàng Hoa Thám (currently the Habeco headquarters).
According to the archives, the brewery was situated on a small hill where two separate wells were dug—one 25 meters deep and the other 48 meters. These wells provided a reliable source of clean water. The quality of this water has been mentioned several times, including by Hommel’s grandson, who recalled his grandfather talking about the “clear and smooth” water from the brewery’s wells.
Although the water was excellent, it still had to be aerated, decanted, and filtered using complex equipment that needed to be installed.
Importing Malt, Hops, and Yeast
Making beer requires malt, hops, and yeast, but these ingredients were unavailable in Vietnam and had to be entirely imported.
Archives mention several supply sources, which seemed to vary depending on the years:
- Pils Region for malt and hops
- Munich for malt
- Copenhagen for yeast
Maintaining this supply chain was a challenge, particularly during wartime in Europe. This may explain why some tentative plans to grow both malt and hops in Yunnan were mentioned during WWI. It remains unclear if these attempts were successful.
Cooling System
When discussing beer production in Indochina, an additional key element needs to be highlighted: refrigeration.
This isn’t just about serving fresh beer—it was crucial for controlling the temperature throughout the entire production and storage process.
Hommel’s brewery made substantial investments in cooling equipment, almost all of which had to be imported. A 1916 article mentioned that the brewery dug 120-meter-long tunnels into the hill where it was located. These tunnels were refrigerated to temperatures as low as 2°C in some sections, powered by two steam engines of 75 and 150 horsepower, ensuring proper conditions for all operations requiring cold.
The Local Workforce
Before going further, I want to emphasize that it would be completely inappropriate and inaccurate to present this enterprise as solely reliant on ‘French’ efforts.
Like all colonial ventures, Brasserie Hommel primarily hired local workers. A 1916 article mentions that aside from the management, only two Europeans were employed. The local workforce at that time consisted of 45 permanent workers and around 30 local women hired on a day-to-day basis.
Unfortunately, I wish I could provide more details about the working conditions or wages, but the information is scarce. The only notable point is that I found no mention of strikes or other forms of rebellion—something that likely would have surfaced in the archives, as was the case with the 1933 strike at the Michelin plantation.
2.2 The Accomplishment: A Pilsner-Style Lager
Here’s why I wanted to highlight Hommel’s refrigeration equipment: it was essential to the type of beer the brewery produced.
Hommel brewed Pilsner-style lager, which requires lower temperatures throughout the production process, particularly during fermentation (known as bottom fermentation). Lager yeast thrives in cooler conditions, so brewing this style of beer in a subtropical climate was a significant challenge. But luck wasn’t part of the equation—archives clearly mention the presence of a laboratory, showing the methodical approach Hommel took in developing his brewery.
From a business standpoint, it’s likely that Hommel recognized that these crisp, refreshing beers were ideal for the hot climate, even though they required a larger investment in equipment and research. Even today, Pilsner beers remain the most popular in Vietnam for this very reason.
2.3 Success and Succession
The brewery grew successfully, but Alfred Hommel didn’t have the chance to fully enjoy this achievement. According to French archives, he died in 1907 in Nancy (in eastern France), overcome by illness and, as they put it, “twenty years of struggle in Tonkin” (North Vietnam).
Succession
After his death, his son, Maurice Hommel, took over the brewery—a role he had been preparing for over several years through his training at the Brewing Institute in Nancy.
In 1911, he returned to Hanoi, installed modern equipment, and doubled the refrigeration capacity. By 1913, the business had become a Société Anonyme (public company) with a capital of 1,000,000 francs.
The active role played by Alfred’s widow should not be overlooked. Her significant contributions to the enterprise are mentioned multiple times, especially after his death. She is described in the archives as “energetic” and “brave” leaving no doubt about the importance of her role in this venture.
Building The Local Market
When discussing the success of the brewery, it’s important to understand two key points:
- Hommel primarily established the brewery to serve French colonists, as drinking beer was not part of Vietnamese culture at the time. But this market was extremely limited! In 1913, there were only about 2,000 “Europeans” living in Hanoi, and roughly half that number when the project first started.
- This means that developing the local market was likely a goal for the brewery from the outset. There is no data on the “ethnicity” of Hommel’s consumers, but the way the products were advertised is very telling.
There were, of course, ads directly catering to French sensibilities, designed in Paris. But I also found some written in Vietnamese, using the phrase “Uống Rượu” (literally, “drink alcohol”). Even more interestingly, the name Hommel was spelled “Ô Men,” reflecting how Vietnamese speakers pronounced it.
We should also remember that the word “Bia” itself is a loanword from the French “Bière,” as the “rrr” sound doesn’t exist in Vietnamese.
These marketing efforts proved successful. Several articles mentioned that the local consumer segment continued to grow over time.
Le Coq d’Or
To understand the success of Hommel’s beer in Hanoi, one establishment deserves special mention: La Brasserie Le Coq d’Or.
Located in the building now occupied by the Hoa Binh Hotel, at the junction of Lý Thường Kiệt and Ngô Quyền streets, this restaurant was run by Caroline Berson, the sister of Mme Hommel.
Le Coq d’Or became renowned for serving high-quality beer at very affordable prices. Apparently, a meal at the restaurant included three free glasses of beer. This not only attracted a loyal following but also pushed local competitors to improve.
As a result, beer became more affordable across the city, which seemingly fast-tracked its adoption in Hanoi compared to Saigon.
Expanding Beyond Hanoi
Beyond Hanoi, Hommel’s brewery quickly expanded its reach throughout the region.
The commercial distribution of Hommel beer initially covered Tonkin, Laos, and northern Annam (the northern half of present-day Vietnam). Yunnan province in China was also considered a promising future market.
By 1926, archival records mention exports to places such as Hong Kong, Yunnan, Singapore, and even Pondicherry, a French colonial settlement in India.
One interesting challenge that slowed the brewery’s expansion was a shortage of bottles, which were supplied by a factory in Hải Phòng. Additionally, the brewery’s exports did not extend to southern Vietnam.
Ziteck Beer (Brasserie de Bohême)
A final note: we cannot discuss the role of Hommel’s brewery in popularizing beer in northern Vietnam without mentioning Ziteck et Cie, later renamed Brasserie de Bohême.
Why? Because this Hanoian brewery, founded in 1930, was established by the former head of production at Hommel’s brewery.
Ziteck’s beers and lemonades gained significant popularity in Hanoi during the 1930s, thanks to several bars and restaurants owned by the company. The most notable of these was the Grill-Room, located next to the Majestic Cinema (now Cinema Tháng Tám on Hàng Bài).
The advertising campaigns run by the company show that both local Vietnamese and French colonists were seen as potential customers.
Despite their apparent success, both breweries eventually lost their independence to a much larger group. But to tell that story, we must look at the emergence of the beer industry—this time in southern Vietnam.
3. South Vietnam : Les Frères Larue
It’s easy to view Vietnam as a monolithic market where anything produced in the South could easily reach the North. This was far from the case at the beginning of the century. As a quick reminder, the train line connecting Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City only debuted in 1936, and the journey took about 60 hours.
This helps explain why the history of beer in Saigon has a different origin story than that of Hanoi, even though there are many similarities.
3. 1 Ice First
The introduction of beer in Vietnam can be credited to two brothers whose names may still ring a bell to beer drinkers: Victor and Gabriel Larue.
Victor’s venture in Saigon began in 1879, with his brother Gabriel joining him a few years later. Their operations didn’t truly take off until 1886, when a significant shipment arrived in Saigon, marking the start of large-scale operations.
According to archives, this shipment included:
- 140,000 kilograms of machinery and equipment
- 15,000 kilograms each of calcium chloride and ammonium chloride
What were they producing? Ice.
In Vietnam’s climate, the demand for freshness was high, especially among the French colonists. At the time, most ice was “natural” and came from colder regions, where it was cut and exported.
For countries like Vietnam, India, and Australia, the cost of importing ice—often from North America—was prohibitive, especially since up to 50% of the ice could be lost during transportation. This made setting up local ice factories far more appealing, even if the quality of the product was considered inferior at the time.
By competing with the ice trade (also known as the frozen water trade), the Larue brothers tapped into a pressing need, not just in Saigon but across Indochina.
After establishing their large ice factory in Saigon, they acquired their northern competitor, Glacière de Hanoï, in 1893. This company had been criticized for poor quality and frequent shortages, giving the Larue brothers an opportunity to expand. Over the years, they opened more ice factories in Hải Phòng, Tourane (now Da Nang), and even Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The scale of their business, combined with the importance of ice in daily colonial life, eventually led to complaints about prices and concerns over their near-monopoly.
3.2 From Ice to Beer
So what does this have to do with beer?
As mentioned earlier, without the ability to control cold, you can’t produce beer. The Larue brothers understood this well, so expanding into beer production—along with sparkling drinks like soda and lemonade—was a natural next step in their business.
3.3 Dating the First Larue Beers
It’s evident that Larue began producing beer early in their entrepreneurial journey, but pinning down an exact date for the opening of their brewery has proven surprisingly difficult. If anyone has additional information, feel free to share it with me in the comments!
What is clear from the archives is that beer was not the initial focus of the Larue brothers—their venture had a much broader scope.
If we must propose a date for the introduction of the eponymous Larue beer and its iconic tiger logo, 1909 would be a reasonable choice, as it still appears on the current label: “Depuis 1909.” However, there is also a strong possibility that brewing began earlier.
One thing I am confident about is that the “Est. 1875” seen on some Sabeco beers is, at best, inaccurate.
What is really notable is that when they started brewing beer, they did so on a large scale. Their brewery, established in Cholon, was often described as “state of the art,” producing a lager-style beer using a bottom fermentation process similar to Hommel’s.
Records even mention an official visit from the Governor of Indochina to the site in 1921.
This, along with the fact that both brothers were awarded the Légion d’honneur—France’s highest order of merit for military and civil service—highlights their prominence in early 20th-century French colonial society.
So, Is This Where Tiger Beer Comes From?
A quick clarification: the tiger associated with Larue branding doesn’t mean that this beer is related to the Tiger Beer you see on the market today.
This confusion is understandable. Larue beers were often called bia con cọp—literally, “Tiger Beer”—because of their logo. However, Tiger Beer is a product of Malayan Breweries in Singapore, launched in 1932, several years after Larue.
It’s not a stretch to assume that executives at the time noticed Larue’s branding and found it inspiring. That said, the use of tiger iconography by both brands is unlikely to cause any IP conflicts in the foreseeable future, as both are now owned by Heineken.
3.4 La De
One last note: when discussing the early days of beer in southern Vietnam, it’s important to mention the term “La De,” which was once commonly used in this region to refer to beer.
Some believe the term originated from the French phrase “La Bière,” while others suggest it may have been adapted from the word “Lager.”
Another theory directly links “La De” to Larue beers. I found an old advertisement featured on chuyenxuya.net displays both “Larue” and “La Ve” side by side, potentially validating this connection.
Interestingly, the same source indicates that the company encouraged a shift from “La Ve” to “La De.” This change was likely prompted by linguistic confusion, as the French phrase “lave la rue” translates to “wash the street,” which could lead to misinterpretation.
In summary, assuming this theory is correct, locals initially pronounced “Larue” as “La ruy ê.” Over time, this evolved into “La Ve” and eventually became “La De.”
To be continued…
A History of Beer in Vietnam 🍺
4 Comments
Excelent read!
Thank you it’s appreciated!
Awesome, looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you! It’s coming very soon!