Drink bia hoi brewed that morning and undrinkable by tomorrow
No pasteurisation, no shelf life
Light, faintly sweet draft beer around three per cent, poured from a steel keg on the pavement into a glass, drunk on a low plastic stool at a junction with whoever else is there.
Why it's unique
Bia hoi is draft beer brewed daily, delivered in kegs, and meant to be finished the same day. There is no pasteurisation and no preservatives, so it does not keep, cannot be bottled and cannot be exported. The whole format only works because the brewery is close and the beer moves fast.
That is what makes it a record rather than cheap lager: it is a drink that structurally cannot exist anywhere it is not made that morning, and this city is where the format is at its densest. It is also about as cheap as beer gets anywhere in the world.
Before you go
The famous junction in the Old Quarter is the most touristed spot and charges accordingly. The beer is identical and roughly half the price at any neighbourhood bia hoi with plastic stools, a keg and no English sign — there are hundreds, and you will pass several walking to the famous one.
Go between about five and seven in the evening. That is when the day's keg is still good and when residents actually drink it; a keg that has been open since lunchtime is noticeably flat. Ask for "mot coc" for one glass. Expect to share a table, and expect the stools to be very low.